One of the great lost media stories of the past decade is Panchiko, a band of British teenagers playing post-Radiohead alt-rock circa Y2K, whose one CD-R, 2000's self-released D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, was plucked from obscurity and developed a very young, very online fanbase in the late 2010s. The members of Panchiko, who had long since moved on with their lives, learned about their cult following in 2020 and eventually reformed the band, releasing the comeback album Ginkgo in 2024. Now they've got another LP on deck.
Chimera will be out in April. It finds Panchiko once again collaborating with billy woods, who graced the Gingko single "Shandy In The Graveyard," as well as Cotillon, Hugh Pascall, Korea Girl, Abby Sage, Lula Nova, and CJ's Mirra Maze. There are also two collaborations with Clarion and three with the young indie jazz-pop Artist To Watch Mei Semones, including lead single "One Car Hits Another," out today.
Panchiko's Andy Wright offers some background on the song:
I imagined a serene waltz of a car crash, whilst onlookers and soon-to-be roadkill alike all sing along watching the slow motion collision unfold. A hand shake, or a car crash, the matter of fact news report describing the incident never makes it clear where the true devastation lies… one car hits another… one hand shakes another; they’re both meetings, technically.
Listen below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Day One" (Feat. billy woods, Cotillon)
02 "One Car Hits Another" (Feat. Mei Semones)
03 "Runtime"
04 "Glas Lands"
05 "Overwrite" (Feat. Clarion)
06 "Glazing" (Feat. Mei Semones, Hugh Pascall)
07 "Zinc Spark" (Feat. Korea Girl, Mei Semones)
08 "Chimera" (Feat. Abby Sage, CJ's Mirra Maze)
09 "Passing" (Feat. Lula Nova)
10 "Giorgia" (Feat. Clarion)
11 "Swallowing Keys"
12 "Trickle"
Chimera is out 4/9 on Nettwerk. Pre-order it here.