Moon Panda

If you like Of Monsters and Men, Wild Child, Tristan Prettyman Ingrid Michaelson
“First and foremost, let me just say that her rendition of Radioactive (originally by Imagine Dragons) blew my mind. Even re-watching it on my iPhone gives me chills. Maddy’s one of those naturally talented girls with an incredible voice, and an adorable stage presence. Although listening to her recorded songs is a total treat, watching her perform was an unexpectedly delightful affair. Even more surprising: when she’s not strumming the guitar, she taps on it to create a synchrony of percussion beats, adding her own unique style to each and every song. As if she didn’t already prove that she could do a song better than the original artist, Maddy’s cover of Vance Joy’s “Riptide” was so good I want to make it my ringtone. When I found out her website hosts free downloads I lit up like a Christmas tree. To wrap it up: her music is a well-balanced combination of sultry and upbeat, giving listeners a warm cozy feeling. I’m thinking Anthropologie soundtrack. Stay tuned.” – Leesa King, California State University, San Marcos, ListenLocalSD.com review of Maddy's performance on August 16, 2013, at 98 Bottles in San Diego (August 21, 2013) -

Moon Panda – “Waveless”
-This is a crazy song at times, balancing some really captivating harmonies with a unique rock style. The vocal feels a bit mutated on this live version, but the textures on it are no less interesting than on a previous studio version I had the chance to hear. They are talented, bridging the gap of traditional chromatic vocal music with more dissonant post-rock guitar work. - Ear To The Ground Music

San Diego's Moon Panda is a dreamy rock duo comprised of singer/bassist, Maddy Myers, and guitarist, Gustav Moltke. Their debut single, Waveless, accompanied by a charming music video, is out already and it sounds as enticing and winsome as the band's name.

Citing as influences acts such diverse as Bon Iver, Bjork, The Beach Boys and Beach House among others, Moon Panda embrace the sweet, melancholic qualities of their Californian background with an ethereal sound that wonderfully blends the vulnerability and dreaminess of dreampop music with the whimsicality and magnetism often found in post-rock. The duo, led by Maddy Myers' songwriting skills alongside her duties as vocalist and bassist, may not have produced much yet, however it's fairly obvious that Moon Panda's presence is not of the common kind and not too easy to categorize. Under the right circumstances, in little time it could be hard to top as well. - Destroy//Exist

The US based ethereal-rock duo Moon Panda is a project fresh out of the blocks.

With a couple of tracks to surface in quick succession Moon Panda is an idea to grab hold of immediately as are many of the musical entities featured.

I first chatted with Maddy in early October and in the intervening month the project has changed to a new direction and new name – for now by way of an introduction and perhaps a swansong – Your Doll. A couple of musicians worth keeping an eye out for in the future in which ever iteration they next surface – one only hopes as Moon Panda again. - Indie Emerging Bands

Moon Panda Explains:
"The video for 'Your Doll' was filmed where I live in the countryside of San Diego, California. The original intent of the video was to film in complete darkness using only car headlights for the shots, giving it a very bleak look, but the sunset ended up being so vivid that we scraped that idea and decided to use it as symbolism for the end of a relationship: beautiful at times yet fading fast. The song itself is about feeling stuck. Feeling like no matter what you do the person that you love has complete control over you, which is a very stark yet common way for a relationship to function. Because of this I wanted the video to be beautiful but still very tragic and I hope that comes through. In the scenes where I'm a dancing silhouette we put on Radiohead's album King of Limbs to really channel the beautiful desperation of their music and honestly the iconic moves of Thom Yorke." - When The Horn Blows

Hey, tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Maddy Myers, I’m the lead of ethereal-rock band Moon Panda. We tentatively formed in August 2015 while we were all in college and have since then been gigging around Boston and recording our first EP, Waveless. I graduated about two months ago and had no set plans to settle anywhere so my guitarist, Gustav Moltke, and I went to my hometown of San Diego for a month to figure things out and ended up spending the next month in Seattle to see if that was a good fit.

Is that going to be your new home?

I think within the next 5 months or so we’re looking to move to either London or Berlin - time will tell! Although things are very up in the air right now I think the one thing that’s clear is that Moon Panda is setting out to make something of itself - or rather I’m setting out to make something of Moon Panda. I think it can be very easy to second guess yourself or your music because for many people, myself included, songwriting is a very personal and vulnerable thing. But Moon Panda is about being bold and unapologetic, different and not necessarily commercial but accessible emotionally.

Where did the new single come from?

Blue, our third single, is a somber yet happy song making a play on what it means to feel blue. I don’t like to make anything too cheery, partly because being a small blonde-red head with an instrument will immediately have people comparing me to the likes of Taylor Swift but mostly because it doesn’t come naturally to me. It ponders the start of a relationship when you feel elated for the possibilities but are already imagining the potential downfalls and not wanting to come on too strongly.

What’s on the horizon for you?

We have 3 singles and music video’s out now on Spotify, iTunes, and Youtube and there are many more to come. In fact, we’re starting to record our second EP in February and I couldn’t be more excited! - Purple Melon

When I first turned on Moon Panda’s new EP “Waveless”, the initial sound had me thinking this would be an alt-rock release. As I kept listening, it felt more like dream pop, but I realized there were none of the classic synths associated with this category.
Singer and songwriter Maddy Myers’ latest release keeps us guessing as she explores the beauty in the mundane. . She fronts the band and acts as lead vocalist and bass guitarist. The group does consist of three other band members, with the other main influence being Gustav Moltke. He acts as the group’s lead guitarist and keyboardist. He is responsible for the dream-pop-esque sound, and often performs some clever guitar processing rather than opting for a traditional synth. It’s a unique and intelligent use of technology and instrumentation, and this innovation helps to set the band apart.
The “Waveless EP” is named after the previously released single “Waveless”, a fantastic release that focuses on somewhat mystical lyrics. Lines such as, “A waveless sea’s a selfish thing, I know. Think fast think slow oh I have grown tired” have a puzzling air to them, yet seemingly keep the listener coming back, trying to decipher the unknown. Ultimately the track is about feeling invisible and hidden, too tired to try any more. The track “Blue” was by far the most well-composed of the EP. It features simple yet strong guitar and drum portions that help to elevate the beautiful vocals. Maddy sings, “You bring me blue skies, I could bring you blue eyes, but I think they might give up too much of my desire.” The skilled writing present throughout is the highlight of the release.

Moon Panda‘s EP is not without its troubles, though. There doesn’t seem to be much of a continuity between the tracks, no real theme to tie the sounds together. It’s more exploratory and conceptual, changing styles, tunes, and tones, throughout. This conflict leaves the listener rather dazed and confused without purpose. While aiming for “genuine intimacy”, I think the abstract nature might have drawn Moon Panda a bit too far into the abyss. In particular, “Your Doll” features far too much reverb, overpowering the lyricist and causing unneeded competition in regards to the listeners’ attention. The result is the creation of background music, an easily tuned-out tune that had the potential for greatness but fell short due to composure. I found aspects of a similar effect throughout, dragging the EP down further still.

Intrigue, mystery, and quality writing brought the EP to the forefront of our attention. Unfortunately, pockets of poor composition and a lack of unity can’t sustain the great vocals. I look forward to their future work as Moon Panda regroups for another attempt at showing off their musical prowess. - High Clouds

Moon Panda draw on four different corners of the world.
The quartet have roots in California, Denmark, London, and Bristol, before finally settling in Brighton as a base.
Languid, dreamy guitar pop with a slight baroque feel, the four-piece are driven forward by songriter Maddy Myers.
New single 'Rabbit' is difficult to define, running through phases of blissful melody yet also squelching abstraction.
"'Rabbit' is about unhealthy love," Myers explains. "It’s someone so infatuated with their partner that they can’t end their tragic, dependent relationship."
Out shortly on My Little Empire, you can check out 'Rabbit' below. - CLASH MAGAZINE

The mysterious Moon Panda, latest addition to label My Little Empire’s not-so-little collection of emerging artists, hit us with their remarkable debut Rabbit last month, impressing tastemaker blogs everywhere and leaving us all thirsty for more.

Maddy Myers leads the quartet from behind the microphone, writing melodies and lyrics, whilst ably supported by the solid musicianship of Gustav Moltke on guitar, George Godwin on synth and Alfie Webber on drums. With their profile rising exponentially, they’ve booked some big shows teaming up with the likes of Hater and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets in the upcoming months, we see no sign of them slowing down.

Kit Gallagher: Where does the name of the band come from? What does it signify?

Maddy Myers: We had a lot of desperate-band-name-brain-storms. We talked about how much we liked an animal in band names (Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Fleet Foxes…) so we had a lot of different animals in mind. Wolves were a front-runner. But suddenly, Gustav looked up at the sky, eyes wide, and said Moon Panda. Over time I’ve really grown to feel at home in it. The moon is kind of this beautiful, feminine symbol for balance and panda’s are really spacey and charming.

KG: What are you stylistically shooting for, and what do think you can bring to the table that’s new?

MM: We want our music to be like a psychedelic landscape, hopefully one you haven’t seen before. I think because the fact that we’re all individuals creating music in a new political time, the outcome will be unique. You know those movies that you walk away from and feel inherently different? Like you connected with a character so much that you became them for an hour and a half. We want to create the kind of atmosphere where you can leave your own mind and become a part of ours for a bit.

KG: You have a dizzying list of influences, can you elucidate a little more on what different ideas and concepts you’re taking from each of them?

Maddy: I mentioned Erik Mongrain and Charles Ives once and somehow that really circulated! I used to play guitar percussively like Mongrain as a solo artist but I wouldn’t say he’s an influencer on Moon Panda’s sound. Radiohead is probably Gustav’s biggest influence and they’re slowly becoming one of mine as well. I think we’re aiming for that same level of intricacy and thoughtful creation. One of the most common places of influence is what we’re reading. I love stream of consciousness, psychedelic stories that are rooted in everyday meaningless moments. Heiko Julien & Miranda July write the best short stories and a lot of our songs come from little moments in stories like that. We’re also really inspired by Tame Impala, Beach House, gotta love Björk, and whatever Justin Vernon is up to.

KG: How do the textures that you conjure in the studio translate live? Is the live show more raw and energetic, or is it restrained?

Maddy: We love when bands have different arrangements live vs studio recording. When they play something live that completely catches you off guard. We try and throw in moments like that – where you’re used to hearing ‘Rabbit’ take off into a psychy jam at the end, we’ll suddenly switch to a subby, electronic waterfall. Rapid changes in texture can be really hypnotizing and emotional. I’d say it’s a constant ebb and flow of energetic and restrained, but we tend to be laid back on stage.

KG: Do you think there’s still space in the industry for bands these days? With fixed costs for labels being driven to 0 by home production, why should a label bother investing in something more costly, and potentially unpredictable?

Maddy: This question makes me think of that song Everything Is Free by Gillian Welch. Humanity is so special because we see the beauty of something. We assign meaning, we create, we question. Art helps us express things in such a multidimensional way. We need art and we need people that passionately support art. Labels should invest in bands…but even if they don’t people will make music anyways and figure it out themselves. There’s not a lot of space in the industry in general but you’ve got to try your best to do what you love most.

KG: What live dates have you got planned? Anything in London that I might be able to come along to?

Maddy: Yes, come hang out! We’ve got a London show September 4th at The Lexington. After that, we’re opening for The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets in Birmingham on the 17th, then we’re supporting the awesome band Hater in Brighton on November 4th.

KG: Advances in technology have driven massive increases in the textural and rhythmic depth available to composers/producers in the last 100 years, but in terms of actual composition, this increase in depth has been accompanied by a steady decrease in harmonic, melodic and structural complexity. As a band that uses texture in such an integral and interesting way, could you comment on this trend? Do you see it continuing, or are we overdue a sharp turn?

Maddy: We just talked about this the other day! It’s wild how just one hundred years ago music was pretty much just piano, strings, or vocals and now there are people on stage controlling music with their body movement. Though the speed of innovation has definitely slowed down, it’ll be interesting to see what music is like in 50 years. We feel really lucky to be starting our career at a point where music technology is already so advanced. That being said, I think people are craving depth and meaning in their music more than ever. I know I am.

KG: What relevance does your music have to the political landscape of now?

Maddy: A lot of our songs are rooted in female empowerment, unfortunately, the only one that’s out, isn’t. The music industry, like so many industries, is male-dominated. You get used to being the only women in the room, but it’s taken time to learn how to not be spoken over, talked down to, or belittled. It seems like a lot of women are going through the same thing right now – demanding an equal playing field and creating it for themselves. So that’s a theme I think we can all expect to see on the rise in everything artistic. Being an American in Europe has led to a lot of acquaintances leaning in close and whispering, “so…Trump?” While I’m pretty tired of talking about Trump directly, there are plenty of other political things to address. Our upcoming songs touch on gun violence, mental illness, and human fragility. I think most of our songs come from a really vulnerable place and I hope people can connect to that.

KG: Thanks Maddy, fascinating answers, and looking forward to hearing what you’ve got in store for us. - Bittersweet Symphonies