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Hey Panda

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Hey Panda
A drawing of a panda on all fours standing against a yellow background, with its shadow casting the words "Hey Panda", with "High Llamas" below it on the bottom orange half of the image
Studio album by
Released29 March 2024 (2024-03-29)
Length39:50
LabelDrag City
ProducerSean O'Hagan
The High Llamas chronology
Here Come the Rattling Trees
(2016)
Hey Panda
(2024)

Hey Panda is the eleventh studio album by the Anglo-Irish avant-pop band the High Llamas, released on 29 March 2024 through Drag City. It is the band's first album in eight years, since the release of Here Come the Rattling Trees in 2016.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic89/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Mojo[3]
MusicOMH[4]
Uncut9/10[5]

Hey Panda received a score of 89 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[1] Uncut called it "beautifully now",[5] while Mojo wrote that it "may seem whimsical at first, but its depth is all the grander for the work it takes to mine its many gems".[3] MusicOMH's Steven Johnson stated that Hey Panda "reinforces the view that O'Hagan is a special composer and bandleader of note. It sees him push himself creatively further than he's ever done to date, delivering a unique, fascinating, compelling album in the process".[4]

Ryan Dillon of Glide Magazine felt that "these twelve songs carry the weight of time as it feels like we are reintroduced to the band despite their storied tenure as pop's most unpredictable offering strikes again with ambitious concepts executed to the highest order".[6]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Sean O'Hagan, except "How the West Was Won" with lyrics by Will Oldham; all music is composed by O'Hagan.

Hey Panda track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Hey Panda"3:32
2."Fall Off the Mountain"2:41
3."Bade Amey"3:04
4."Sisters Friends" (featuring Rae Morris)3:24
5."How the Best Was Won" (featuring Bonnie "Prince" Billy)2:59
6."The Grade"3:09
7."Yoga Goat"2:53
8."Stone Cold Slow"3:16
9."Toriafan"3:21
10."Hungriest Man" (featuring Bonnie "Prince" Billy)5:01
11."The Water Moves"2:48
12."La Masse" (featuring Fryars)3:42
Total length:39:50

Personnel

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The High Llamas

  • Sean O'Hagan – vocals, pianos, synthesizers, guitars, bass, synthesizer programming, arrangements, production, mixing, cover painting
  • Jon Fell – bass on "The Grade"
  • Rob Allum – drums, percussion

Additional contributors

  • Fryars – mixing, programming and vocals on "Hay Panda" and "The Grade"
  • Livvy O'Hagan – vocals on "Hey Panda", "Fall Off the Mountain", and "The Grade"
  • Rae Morris – lead vocals on "Sisters Friends"
  • Bonnie "Prince" Billy – vocals on "How the West Was Won"
  • Andy Ramsay – drum recording
  • Dan Osborn – layout

Charts

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Chart performance for Hey Panda
Chart (2024) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[7] 64

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hey Panda by The High Llamas Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  2. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Hey Panda Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The High Llamas – Hey Panda". Uncut. May 2024. p. 84.
  4. ^ a b Johnson, Steven (27 March 2024). "The High Llamas – Hey Panda | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b "The High Llamas – Hey Panda". Uncut. March 2024. p. 29.
  6. ^ Dillon, Ryan (27 March 2024). "The High Llamas Tackle the Art of Sonic Dynamics On Nuanced Hey Panda (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 April 2024.