Biography
Inspired by the aquatic visions in their joint short film Dolphins and Porpoises, Rebecca Scott on vocals and keys together with Brian Cook handling drum machine and guitar launched the indie-pop outfit Panda Riot around 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Buzzy guitar lines, delicate vocals, and expansive layers of synthesized distortion—achieved by running keyboards through a death metal pedal—echoed the early-’90s sound of Tender Trap, the Softies, and My Bloody Valentine. In 2006 the pair distributed their first handmade CD-R EP, Paper Airplanes, directly to audiences at shows, then issued their debut full-length, She Dares All Things, on their own imprint the next year. Relocating to Chicago, they added bassist Justin Cheng and drummer Melissa, though the latter departed soon afterward; percussionist José Rodriguez later joined to complete the lineup. The group’s second EP, Far & Near, appeared on the Mirror/Mirror label in 2010. Their visibility increased after performing at NYC Popfest in 2011 alongside Silver Swans, the Motifs, and Kids on a Crime Spree, and again in early 2012 with the Saint Marie Records single “Serious Radical Girls.” One year later they issued the flexi-disc “Amanda in the Clouds,” followed in March 2013 by the band’s first proper album, Northern Automatic Music.
Albums