ALBUM REVIEW: Panda Bear - Sinister Grift
Animal Collective is so back.
With the release of Panda Bear’s latest solo record, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how influential Animal Collective has been to the last decade and a half while reaping none of the benefits themselves. The four members of the group waffled between middling solo releases and confounding group projects, all as their masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavilion came to define so much of what indie music has been since 2009. It all seems like a missed opportunity to me, and it’s even more apparent on Sinister Grift, the best solo release from an AnCo member in forever. Where has this Panda Bear been hiding this whole time?
Sinister Grift is appropriately tropical, something all of Panda Bear’s releases are. Album opener “Praise” begins like it’s trying to become the best reggae song of 2025. What instantly separates it from previous Noah Lennox solo efforts like “Bros” or “Last Night At The Jetty” is how the melody leans into those beach vibes. “Praise” is positively sunny, with its 60’s-style vocal harmonies reminding me of how carefree most of Merriweather Post Pavilion sounded. Abandoning the experimentation of a Person Pitch freshens up the entire record, like its a party trick Lennox has been waiting to uncork at just the right time.
This newfound ray of sunshine makes Sinister Grift as deliciously listenable as perhaps any record to come in 2025. Album centerpiece “Just as Well” is as gloriously energetic as a Panda Bear track has ever been, like a Beach Boys b-side mixed with syrupy synths. “Defense” recruits Cindy Lee for a sweet guitar solo as Lennox leads a chorus that you might find at a sporting event. Even the most familiar efforts like singles “Ends Meet” and “Ferry Lady” stand out with how front and center Lennox is as a vocalist. By drawing back the reverb and complexity of the instrumentals, he stands tall with some of the best, most memorable performances of his solo work.
Much of the record lyrically concerns his divorce from his longtime partner (yes, the main girl from “My Girls”), but he lets the good vibes of the music itself pepper his lyrics. Looking deeper into the production credits, you can find all of his Animal Collective compatriots had a hand in the making of this record. It’s all like a bit of group therapy for Lennox, finding his way through a devastating time through poppy psychedelia. Even when things get moodier and clouds overtake the sun, like on the sparse “Elegy for Noah Lou”, the laid-back disposition never lets the despair become the main focus.
The modern generation was robbed of a great era of Animal Collective music, but the fact that it’s 2025 and I’m talking about them again makes me happy. Hopefully Sinister Grift can be the gateway drug for zoomers to dive into what made the band great, but even if it doesn’t, it stands tall as one of the best side projects from any member of the band. It’s easy listening with plenty of earworms to boot, showcasing Noah Lennox’s persistent knack for creativity on one of the best albums of 2025 so far.
Verdict: 8.5/10
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