Album Review: Panda Bear - "Sinister Grift"

Sinister Grift may as well be Panda Bear's most accessible, warm, and inviting record in his career. Its warm tones of lush, beachy, psychedelic 60's guitar pop will certainly make your average fan pleased with the results, despite its limitations.

Domino - 2025

Each member of the legendary Baltimore-based band Animal Collective is pivotal, Noah Lennox is certainly one of them. Also known by his stage name Panda Bear, Lennox is most known for his pop sensibilities in his singing voice, songwriting, and immense instrumentals. Lennox has been doing this for decades now by placing his signature, Brian Wilson-esque croon onto his trippy, woozy instrumentals. Ever since Animal Collective's rise in popularity, I think it's safe to say that it's a popular opinion that fans have always wanted a true guitar pop album from the guy. Now in 2025, that's finally happening with Sinister Grift, his eighth solo album. At a refreshingly immediate ten songs and forty-four minutes in total length, Sinister Grift may as well be Panda Bear's most accessible, warm, and inviting record in his career. I would say the expectations are high with this one and its warm tones of lush, beachy, psychedelic 60's guitar pop will certainly make your average fan pleased with the results.

Pulling back as an album centered thematically on the end of his marriage, Lennox surprisingly leans on an optimistic and level-headed approach aside from some somber moments here and there. Sonically, it's bright sunshine and the taste of saltwater waves. As expected with any Panda Bear release, there are plenty of sticky melodies and layered instrumentation to sift through. Surprisingly, this is his first solo album with contributions from all Animal Collective members, including Deakin (Josh Dibb) co-producing the entire album with Lennox, as well as appearances from Spirit of the Beehive's Rivka Ravede and Patrick Flagel's Cindy Lee, who had quite an impressive 2024. The album kicks off with "Praise," a dubby, sunny pop gem that's pure bliss. "Anywhere But Here" is a chill and laidback endeavor that's perfect to listen to in the shade with harmonies that scream 70's pop rock acts like The Eagles or even The Doobie Brothers. It also features spoken word from Lennox's daughter, Nadja, in Portuguese (I'm only assuming here, considering I don't speak the language myself). Like many of the songs, "50mg" transports the listener right into 60's FM car radios on L.A. drives. Album highlights "Just as Well" and "Ferry Lady" offer the one two punch of fantastically blissed out, guitar pop with a tropical tinge.

Some of the album's quieter moments aren't as instant but offer a tone shift from the more upbeat moments such as "Venom's In," "Left In the Cold" and "Elegy for Noah Lou," the album's most varied track where its psychedelic and experimental ambience is certainly coated with other Animal Collective members' fingerprints. These three are back to back, definitely slowing down the album's momentum into a screeching halt. These aren't terrible songs by any means ("Left In the Cold" is quite stunning) but they do stick out on this album and the track listing could've been rearranged a bit to solve this issue. Lead single "Defense" ends the album on a high note featuring swirling, hypnotic guitar work from Cindy Lee, a thumping groove, and a reassuringly strong chorus. Despite its strengths, Sinister Grift's true faults lie with its repetition and lack of variety within its overall production, instrumentation, and tone. Even on repeated listens, I find the album's sunny, shimmering layered sound to be infectious and enjoyable but ultimately frustrating in terms of its limitations. I do wish there was more variety and that may make Sinister Grift go from good to great to my ears. But as of now, I get too much déjà vu from the track listing, to a point where I get certain songs confused with one another. But like Panda Bear's last album, Reset (in collaboration with Sonic Boom), it took a bit of time to grow on me and win me completely over. So, Sinister Grift might do the same for me. Lennox has a refreshingly more direct approach on Sinister Grift and its appreciation and enjoyment shouldn't be simply taken at face value.

My Rating: 7 / 10

Favorite Songs: "Ferry Lady," "Defense," "Praise," "Just as Well," "50mg"