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The band have been vague in their discussion of the album, as they refer to themselves as ‘pop’ artists at every opportunity, yet ‘deathmetal’ remains in their Instagram handle. Panchiko have continued this ambiguity with ‘Ginkgo’, referring to the project as a ‘pop music album’ and answering a fan’s comment asking what genre the album is with ‘not sure!’. 

Panchiko have teased this release with music videos for singles ‘Ginkgo’, ‘Shandy in the graveyard’, ‘Honeycomb’ ‘Mac’s Omelette’ and the latest which was released on the same day as their album, ‘Chapel of Salt’.

Panchiko, formed in 1998 originally consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Owain Davies, guitarist and keyboardist Andrew Wright, bassist Shaun Ferreday, and drummer, John. The band released the cult classic rock EP ‘D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L’ in 2000 before an abrupt split. ‘D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L’ was originally created with only 30 physical copies, and was later made popular by an online following who had discovered the album and uploaded it onto YouTube.

The band reunited in 2020 with the release of their second album ‘Failed at Math(s)’, an indie-rock trip hop experiment with new guitarist Rob Harris and drummer John Schofield. After 23 years since the band had collaborated they spoke about their writing process in an interview with FLOOD magazine, sharing that they attempted to recreate their old writing conditions as teens “sat on the sofa, surrounded by snacks, games consoles; music machines were sampled, lyrics mumbled, and three chord progressions were strummed over drum loops and blips and bloops.”

Fans were thrilled with the release and its bold uniqueness that was true to their earlier style.  

I finally listened to Failed at Math(s) by Panchiko and it did not disappoint. I really like the vibe they set up with a lot of the songs here and the instrumentals are great. I actually do like this more than death-metal cause I only really like the kicking cars side on that ep pic.twitter.com/i8qSqaPMrU — Insane (@Fairly_Insane) March 3, 2025

Panchiko have now returned once again with new album ‘Ginkgo’, a thirteen track lo-fi blend of shoe-gaze and classic rock influence. 

Many have posted recordings of the band’s performance of new tracks from their UK/EU tour in the leadup to the release of ‘Ginkgo’ , such as fan favourite ‘Chapel of salt’. Here, fans also share their excitement and love for the band. 

@groovyfrootloop this song is amazing live. fav song from when i saw them live. i love you @Panchiko #ginkgo #panchiko #shoegaze #concert #epic #cool #fyp #concert ♬ original sound – stephanianosbeec

Although this UK tour has concluded, Panchiko will continue dates in the US and will be performing two shows at this year’s Record Store Day at Rough Trade East and Rough Trade Nottingham with tickets are available on their website. 

Panchiko also announced their involvement in the Pitchfork Music Festival in London where they will perform in November amongst notable names such as ‘Indigo De Souza’, ‘underscores’, and ‘hey, nothing’.  

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Tickets for the Festival commenced general sale on 4 April, taking place at multiple venues in Dalston.