Who knew that the discovery of a rot-filled CD could jumpstart a band?
In 2000, a group of teenagers made an alternative rock music CD labeled “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” and spread copies among friends and family. In 2016, a user on social media website “4chan” discovered one of the disks in a record shop in England, covered in rot. Fans of underground music set on a four-year manhunt to find the creators until 2020, when the band members were discovered — now in their 40s.
Since then, the band’s cult following has only increased as they have been on a hot streak of new album releases, with tours all over the UK and US. As its new album “Ginkgo” was announced, no one was surprised.
Going into the album, the first of the 13 tracks set a mood I was familiar with. “Florida” gives an awesome opening to the 49-minute project and is an instant playlist-add. The third song, titled “Shandy in the Graveyard,” has an amazing bassline from bassist Shaun Ferreday, with vocals from Owain Davies that complete this song, not to mention the consistency throughout the album. This song also offered the first feature Panchiko has ever had in a song, with vocals from billy woods.
The tone of the album switches up from there, with “Honeycomb” being more uplifting. However, I prefer the rock aspect of the album over the pop side; the new sound of these tracks takes some getting used to. The album strays further away from rock when “Shelled and Cooked” added some notes of folk that I wasn’t a fan of.
“Lifestyle Trainers” switches the album back to what I enjoy about Panchiko, with the song taking in more aggressive guitar, accompanied by heavy sound effects. The band seems to continue its signature sounds in “Chapel of Salt” and “Vinegar” — more favorites of mine.
The project once again flips sides in “Mac’s Omelette,” presenting notes of jazz that Davies matches well with his vocals once again. The small guitar riffs seem to continue into “Subtitles,” where the instrumentals remind me of the original soundtrack to a casual video game like “Animal Crossing.”
The broken down aspects of Panchiko’s breakout album are paid homage to in the final three songs, each packaging distorted sound effects in their own unique way that I deeply enjoyed. “Formula” feels like a rot remix from the band’s third album, while the swayed volume of “Rise and Fall” is once again different from anything I’ve heard from the group. Finishing off as my top song off the album, “Innocent” has an amazing symphonic vibe to it, and I could tell the lyrics meant something to the artist.
I’m delighted that Panchiko is utilizing so many songs on “Ginkgo” to explore new playing styles, but it came with a cost as songs became hit-or-misses.
