Interview with The Panic: Enigmatic Songs, Panicky Members, and Problematic Lives

Indonesian alt-rockers The Panic owe much of their sound to the likes of Radiohead and Sigur Ros, with a friend describing their sound as 'Radiohead being trapped in a forest being hunted by bears'. If I were to expand on that, I'd say something about the ambience of the woods with a pursuing malice lurking in the background, but no, I won't. I think you'll find it's not difficult to appreciate their ability to craft hauntingly beautiful, devastatingly melancholic songs that more often than not manages to bring chills down your spines.

Akis, the vocalist of The Panic have kindly agreed to do an interview for the blog.

Read the interview after the JUMP




J: Why the name The Panic?

A: Why the name The Panic? because The Panic represents our character as band. We are always going into full panic before a show begins, And then when we read the lyrics of (Radiohead's) Paranoid Android, we decided to name ourselves as such.

J: When and how was the band formed? Were all of you friends before that?

A: The band was born on 2001, but it was a different name and played Hip Metal. In 2003, we decided to move in the direction of Brit Rock, and the year after that we started using the name The Panic while moving into the genre we call Enigmatic Rock. Yeah, all the members have been my friends since I was in high school, except Agi, our drummer. He joined in 2006 and is actually a friend of the drummer before him.

The Panic - All Human Talk by thepanicindonesia

J: What are the musical and lyrical influences/inspirations for the band?

A: All the words are from and for the world

J: Is there a certain philosophy/ideology the band lives by?

A: Our philosophy is to let everyone realise that our livers are not as good as we think it is. There's many problems and together we must solve them.

J: Are you planning on recording and/or releasing an album anytime soon?

A: Yes, we will release an album this year, but we don't know if we are going to make the record ourselves. If we have the funds we will make it on our own.



J: Other than music like Radiohead and Sigur Ros, what other kinds of music do each of you listen to?

A: Hmm.... Explosion In The Sky, Muse, Rage Against The Machine, Bjork, and all good music. We're not just into dreamy shoegaze, we're into all sorts, as long as it's good.

J: What was the best memory you have had as a band?

A: I think the best thing is working together as a team, as shown by this video here. I think we always work together with smiles on our faces :)



J: What would you describe The Panic's sound as? What makes The Panic unique from other bands?

A: Our sound is a mix of rock, britpop, post-rock, shoegaze and industrial. This combination results in us having our own character, creating a new genre we call Enigmatic Rock. This is what makes us unique. We're a band from Asia, and we can make music as good and in the same class as any in Europe and America.

J: How does the band go about writing a song?

A: I write the lyrics for all the songs, but the arrangement is done as a group with the band.



J: What's the best thing about being in The Panic?

A: Be the knowing rather than the unknowing. The Panic gives me knowledge. I am just like a scientist with The Panic.

J: Do you prefer to write/record songs or perform them live?

A: Both of these things make me happy

J: What would you say the experience of seeing The Panic live would be?

A: You will shut up and think that we are made up of various awesome elements, from the song, the sound, the lyrics and the action live. You can experience a taste of that in our youtube channel.

J: Are there any plans to tour outside of Indonesia?

A: I want to. There some arrangements to tour the Philippines in progress, and we hope it will work out. I also hope you'll invite us to your place, Jay, and do a show there. Heheheh :D

J: Where do you want The Panic to be in 5 years time?

A: I want The Panic to be an internationally-known band

J: What bands from Indonesia (or Asia in general) would you recommend for anyone who likes the sound of The Panic?

A: Toe from Japan

Photos are all courtesy of the band.


Signing out

Over and out