Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Panicland is a three-piece pop band that takes on a range of different influences, with clear inspiration in their sound from the rock, indie, and R&B genres to name but a few. The Beach Boys is one of the artists specifically cited as one of the band’s influences, and this is certainly something that can be heard on the first track on the mixtape, ‘Rock Ur Body‘.
With a very laid back feel to it, ‘Rock Ur Body‘ is a very simple yet effective pop song which underlines the idea that less is sometimes more when it comes to penning the perfect pop song. It’s a simply constructed piece of music that is absolutely packed with positivity, the kind of track that you can definitely imagine an already established pop act enjoying a great deal of success with. The bass is very prominent in the sound here, providing a strong presence throughout the track and carrying a very heavy instrumental impact. Braedon Horbacio’s vocals are impressive, it’s the instrumental aspect of the sound that really makes the track, however, creating the feel-good factor and establishing the strong ambience of the music.
Second track ‘Hover‘ explores the band’s R&B influence, with the bass dropping back in the sound as the drumbeat becomes the overriding instrumental presence. ‘Hover‘ showcases a completely different side to Panicland’s sound, something which is again true with final track ‘Lockets‘ as the band moves into a more rock based territory. This mixtape serves as a demonstration of the versatility of this pop band’s sound, with an evident diversity of influences which makes the band an exciting and unpredictable prospect for the future.
Although all three of the tracks present on this mixtape explore a different side of the band, one feature that persists throughout is the band’s focus on simplicity. The chorus of ‘Lockets‘ only contains two different words as Braedon Horbacio repeats ‘It’s alright, alright, alright’, despite the fact that the chorus only contains two different words it’s still very powerfully sung out, however, and the band demonstrates a strong understanding of the pop genre and a solid sense of pop sensibilities that belies the young age of the band’s musicians.
‘MMXIII‘ is an impressive mixtape from Panicland, a young pop band that will only get better as they continue to progress and mature as musicians. Later this year they’ll head out to Toronto to work with Greig Nori (Marianas Trench, Hedley, Sum 41) on their debut album, and if this mixtape is anything to go by then Panicland is a band that you can definitely expect to hear much more from in the future, a young band that seems absolutely destined for success with such a strong knowledge and understanding of pop music and exactly what it takes to write and record a successful pop song.
You can listen to Panicland’s ‘MMXIII‘ mixtape on Audiomack, where the mixtape is available for streaming and also for free download.
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
