Even at the start of a new year, a healthy reminder that emo isn’t just a phase, it’s forever. Panda House knows this, hence the release of their latest album this past December, a self-titled joint. Though this marks the band’s fifth album, it is their first pressed onto vinyl, marking another chapter in the Detroit group’s growth.
Panda House’s latest album marks one decade of the band’s existence, having formed in 2015 with guitarist/singer Robert Johnson and drummer Anthony Brass as founding members. James Dunstan joined the following year with the bass, and Chad Golda joined soon after with the synth. This configuration released the first two Panda House albums, with Golda leaving the band and guitarist/singer S. Tobias Hardoin stepping in.
Over the past several years, this iteration of Panda House has evolved its sound, resulting in the polished emo sound on the new self-titled record. It holds up with playlist partners Three Days Grace, Basement, Title Fight, and Scarlet Street, for those looking for a comparison. On the latest album, the band blends the best elements of math rock, post-hardcore, and second-wave Midwestern emo (hearkening to their Detroit roots) to produce their most evolved record to date.
On the new record, Panda House air out grievances, comment on the relentless passage of time, and remark on trying to grow when the walls continue to close in. The lead track “Overexposure” carries all of these themes, reintroducing the band’s sound while highlighting the streak of anxiety that runs through the album. “Unanswered” follows with a feature from fellow Detroiter Sean Shepard of Antighost. The track builds on “Overexposure”: Where the first song was cathartic, “Unanswered” is a cry for help and connection.
The band grapples with mental health through the album, especially when it comes to falling back into old habits, such as on “Tumbling” and more explicitly on “Wasted”. But perhaps the most striking song on the record regarding the subject is “Shia LeBeouf”, the track named after the actor who’s battled his own trauma over the years, sometimes in public fashion. The track pulls no punches regarding self-loathing: “I come here often enough to know that I’m making myself a coffin/Another one in the chamber like I’m a loaded gun/But no one showed me the safety/I guess it’s off then/Just pull the trigger, it’s all overrated.”
While the album addresses the self haunting the self, it also pays homage to ghosts (especially on the track titled “Ghost”) as well as other beings that won’t leave the suffering alone, such as on “Enough”: “Take back all the memories/That’s all you have left of me/I beg for your sympathy/You’ve got no respect for me.” Both tracks couch romance got sour in the metaphor of the spectre, but “As Of Late” addresses the haunting from outside sources head-on: “Now my patience is falling, and I just can’t play pretend/That this place isn’t haunted/You choked the life out of it”.
Where “Overexposure” unloads all of the album’s anxiety at the beginning, “Fivefivefive” sits as a meditation in the middle, reflecting on the void and the transformation that happens within, repeating the verse three times: “Suddenly, there’s a change/Break away from everything/All of me, rearrange”. And where the entire record deals with anguish and loss and loathing, the final track, “The Greatest Part Of Me,” fills the void, providing a crack of daylight in the darkness, addressing that even when everything feels blank or claustrophobic, no one has to go through it alone. It’s a lovely coda to a crushing collection of music.
Overall, Panda House’s self-titled record is another great addition to their discography, providing something that will tickle the ears of any emo fan looking for fresh blood in the new year or craving the classic second-wave sound. After a decade as a band, Panda House still has the power. Take a listen to “Unanswered” from the record below, and follow along with the band’s adventures in 2026 on Instagram.
Written by Will Sisskind
