Moon Panda - “Cloud Watching”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…Mitski, Alt-J, Beach House

Danish ambient pop duo Moon Panda take a minimalist approach to their music, a swinging bassline and classic pop guitar patterns forming a precise core that connects the spacier atmospheres back to ground level. Airy, bedroom rock, but with slow eclecticism to their vibing melodies, Moon Panda’s style is just weird enough to not fall into a lull across the early singles from their upcoming full-length What On Earth. SXSW 2022 will be a bit of a full circle for Moon Panda - the lovely, R&B-grooved first single “Vacationer” was written after Covid took down the festival in 2020 and they were stranded with no way to travel internationally. The trip turned into a cross-country, national park adventure where the songs from What On Earth were written and recorded in an unexpected moment of anxiety-ridden inspiration. (Kevin McStravick)