I first heard PANIK FLOWER when their single “Alkaline” popped up as a YouTube recommendation back in February. On their sophomore EP rearview (out today), the NYC dreamgazers—Sage Leopold (vocals), Mila Stieglitz-Courtney (guitar and vocals), Jordan Buzzell (guitar), Max Baird (bass), and Marco Starger (drums)—have crafted a six-track project that blends lush, atmospheric textures with a gloomy, grungy edge, capturing the sensory overload of their city and the pressure to perform under constant scrutiny.
Sage Leopold’s vocals are the most distinct I’ve heard in a long time, capable of soaring to ethereal heights or punching you in the gut, sometimes within the same lyric. Her literary devices—repetitive mantras as on “Alkaline” or haunting confessions like “Do I have to miss you til the day I lose you”—perfectly suit the band’s dreamgaze label. In the band’s Backstory post, Leopold mentions how the EP’s lyrics came to her during long walks, a meditative process that shaped the introspective tone of tracks like “Slenderman,” a haunting meditation on being unseen—“I screamed your name / And you, you turned the other way”—its restrained fury ready to boil over.
The EP lurches between her spoken word and melodic delivery, creating a compelling, contrasting dynamic with heavy, cascading intensity and cathartic release. On the title track “Rearview,” this balance is embodied perfectly: a stormy, long-building instrumental evokes a night drive in a heavy downpour—the beat of the wipers, the white noise of the rain—creating an entrancing, hypnotic, and anxious mood, driven by newest member Starger’s precise and intense drumming. Lyrics like “I can’t make you love me / the way I wanted you to” capture the exhausting collapse of a broken relationship, steeped in hindsight and emotional decay. The video, inspired by films by George A. Romero and David Lynch, captures the anxious and overwhelming atmosphere of the single:
After four songs of relative restraint, Sage’s vocal fully soars on “Alkaline,” the EP’s first single, channeling a Sarah McLachlan-like dreaminess with a ‘90s grungy undertone. The song’s video uses digitized Super 8 footage from Leopold’s grandparents, a nostalgic touch that complements the track’s grainy, yearning tone:
“OCD” brings a bright guitar hook amidst its scathing critique of modern media consumption, with lines like “Obsessive consumption diet / Screen to hypnotize” reflecting the anxiety and dissociation of a hyper-connected lifestyle. “Slenderman” is a haunting meditation on being unseen—“I screamed your name / And you, you turned the other way”—its restrained fury ready to boil over, while “Symptom of Paradox” and “Tower” grapple with mental chaos and stagnation.
Rearview balances ethereal beauty with punky, angular intensity, a testament to the band’s versatility and Leopold’s commanding vocal presence. It’s a gloomy, grungy escape that feels both personal and universal.
For more on the influences behind this EP, check out the Backstory, where the band dives into their process.
