The Panics

Throaty vocals cushioned in strings and brass cast stoic shadows across jangly refrains as the solid, soulful Aussie rock of "Cruel Guards" croons cool, stone faced fables. Shifting slave chain beats between rousing hooks. The Panics valient hearts are well prepared for soldering on, delivering swelling, resilient emotions exploding into proud pleads and open armed anthems.
John Noyd Maximum Ink USA
- Maximum Ink

One of the surprises coming out of South by South West in Austin was an unknown band originally from far flung Perth, Australia called The Panics. At a time of so much mind - fogging pop transience, The Panics (now based in Melbourne) delivered literate yet melodic rock that not only echoed the haunting classicism of such Aussie acts as The Triffids and The Go-Betweens but also the likes of Van Morrison. Finally The Panics strong album. "Cruel Guards", with epic tracks like Sundowner and the title track is available in the U.S and tour expected soon.
Cary Darling Fort Worth Star Telegrath

- Fort Worth Star Telegraph USA

The Panics have been gaining some real momentum since releasing Cruel Guards and tonight's show reaps the benefits, with thousands packing out the Grant Mclennan stage. The boys return in kind, ripping thru fantastics versions of Creaks and Ruins, and theres no room for no room for any more punters to squeeze in at all. "Twin Sisters" is terrific and Whitley plays on the mesmerising "Cruel Guards". The Panics are adjusting to their new found famewith typical humble modesty. Jae Laffer's vocals are above reproach and Drew Wootton's guitar work is steller as always.

The crowd is screaming for their favourite song but the boys make them wait a little longer. They finally play "Dont Fight it" and it's a tribute to the strength of Australian music that there are more people singing along tonight than there were last night at Polyphonic spree. The Panics are going from strength to strength and tonight is no exception. FASTER LOUDER

- Fasterlouder

The Final gig on a national sold out tour, highlighted by a run of sold out shows in their adopted home of Melbourne felt like a celebration of the recent success; the singles 'Dont fight it' & 'Feeling is gone' are radio & TV staples and 3rd album 'Cruel Guards' was effectively album of 2008. The Panics began their homecoming with the melancholic 'Something in the garden' before treating the packed venue to a couple of faves from the latest disc in 'Creaks' and Motown adoring 'Ruins'. The Morricone flavours came to the fore during a brief encore of 'Get us Home' and 'Fire on the Hill' off their sun kissed full length debut 'A house on a street in a town I'm from'. The latter instrumental saw the band kick up their heels-it was the final gig of a watershed tour after all-with Wootton dancing up a strorm and Jules Douglas revving up the crowd. From Perth to the World, The Panics are on an exponential rise. They are going to be huge.
Simon Collins The West Australian

- West Australian

Gloriously seductive pop-rock from impressive new Australian band's excellent "Cruel Guards" album. Ken Barnes USA Today

- USA Today

This new (to the USA) group is not the next big splash. The Panics are more like a small tsunami, caused by an undersea earthquake. A small ripple in the vastness of the ocean, but that ripple packs enough wallop to put you on your ass and make you do some serious dirt surfing! They're not acting like spoilt teenagers, or sexually confused, or wannabe gangstas whose histrionics populate the charts these days. They're just about plain ole good music. Correction: Make that plain ole Great music. As another reviewer put it "...Interweaving melodies and atmospheres over landscapes of rousing instrumentation". "Cruel Guards" begins with a drum roll, some handclapping, and then an elgiac cum triumphantly subdued flourish that seems to set the proper pace for this disc."Don't fight" starts off as if from a sunday hymnal, but quickly moves into a sophisticated , slow shuffle that exudes supreme confidence and subdued pride in equal measure. The band is fearless in its approach to making of music, unafraId to add strings, horns and a piano where they're called for ...The writing demonstrates sincere, well crafted poetry, seemlessly welded to well-crafted musicianship. Don't Miss this group when they make their US tour.
Lou Novacheck-
BC Blogcritics Magazine USA

- Blogcritics

The Panics are very very good. The opening track, Get us Home, has a string preamble that recalls The Beatles’ All I’ve got to do, verses like old-home week in Tennessee and a chorus threatening to soar like a classic piece of sunny joy. After that, as with The Church at their 80’s peak, The Perth band effortlessly sail through vauguely psychedelic pop gems that are outwardly casual but are actually quite intense, carry occasional brass and plain-speaking piano and are always big on melodies. Excellent Stuff!
Sydney Morning Herald (Bernard Zuel)

- Sydney morning herald

Cruel Guards
Opening with strings straight out of an Ennio Morricone score, “Cruel Guards” announces a change of pace for The Panics. The Five Piece have consistently delivered beautiful spare rock throughout their career, but with the lush pianos, strings and layered guitars of this their third full length album, they’ve beefed up their production without sounding overblown.

“Don’t fight it” is resplendent with hooky trumpets, while the harmonica laced title track see front man jae laffer affirm his place as a deft, poetic lyricist. Consistent throughout, “Cruel Guards” straddles the divide between pop and rock with arrangements that reflect the 12 months spent shaping the set.

During closer ‘Sundowner”, complete with swelling strings, Laffer lets us know he “spent six months looking for the rest of the rhyme”, a labour that has paid off in full.

The Panics have an impressive back catalogue well worth investigating, but for their best, most cohesive work, look no further than this record.
ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE (DANIEL FINDLEY)
- Rolling Stone Magazine

Rolling Stone USA

The Kings of Leon’s Nathan Folowill came to check out MGMT’s extremely well-attended gig, but while the Brooklyn band were stretching out their psych-pop tunes in jammier directions he was raving about the Panics, an Aussie act he’d seen the day prior. “You know how normally when you hear a band you can list the bands that influenced them or that they ripped off straight away?” he asked. “We couldn’t do it for them, they sounded like nothing I’d heard before, really melodic, almost atmospheric.” Rolling Stone USA

- Rolling Stone Magazine USA