Panda Bear is back to announce Sinister Grift, his seventh solo album, out February 28th, 2025. He’s also shared the album’s lead single, “Defense (featuring Cindy Lee),” as well as a batch of 2025 North American tour dates with Toro y Moi.
Panda Bear, the solo project of Animal Collective member Noah Lennox, crafted Sinister Grift at his Estudio Campo in Lisbon, Portugal with fellow Animal Collective member Josh Dibb (A.K.A. Deakin). Sinister Grift follows his 2022 collaborative album with Sonic Boom, Reset, and will be the first solo Panda Bear album since 2019’s Buoys. In addition to Josh Dibb and the rest of his Animal Collective bandmates appearing on the album, Sinister Grift also features contributions from Cindy Lee and Spirit of the Beehive’s Rivka Ravede.
“Working on this record felt like a sacred and warm return,” Dibb said in a press release. “Noah and I first started putting music down to multitrack cassette in 1991. 32 years later and working in the same fashion, two friends alone in a room searching for sounds and feelings that move us, I am very proud of what we created together. Sinister Grift feels like the songwriter I’ve known for over 30 years but also feels like some sort of new chapter for Noah. Couldn’t be more proud of the result.”
To support Sinister Grift, Panda Bear will embark on a 2025 North American tour alongside Toro y Moi. After he completes a run of UK/EU shows in December 2024, the North American run kicks off on February 6th in Minneapolis and continues through the winter with shows in Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Nashville, and more.
The first leg of the tour ends with a February 21st show in Atlanta; Panda Bear will then make his way to Europe for another run of shows before heading back stateside in May. He’ll hit cities on the West Coast and Southwest like Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle, concluding the tour with a May 23rd date in Vancouver. See the full list of Panda Bear’s 2024-2025 tour dates below.
Tickets for Panda Bear’s 2025 tour go on sale on Friday, October 18th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. An artist pre-sale will begin prior to the general sale, kicking off on Wednesday, October 16th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Panda Bear’s website.
Panda Bear’s new song “Defense” features Cindy Lee (the moniker of Canadian musician Patrick Flegel), who is currently in the midst of a major year after the release of their album Diamond Jubilee. Lee plays guitar on the track, which finds Lennox crooning atop a mid-tempo trot. It’s a more naturalistic and classic turn from Panda Bear, complete with acoustic drums, warm harmonies, and dazzling electric guitar work from Lee. Stream “Defense” below.
Prior to his return this week, Panda Bear also collaborated with his Animal Collective bandmate Avey Tare on the 2024 single “Vampire Tongues” and contributed a remix of Paramore’s “Running Out of Time” to last year’s reimagined compilation, Re: This Is Why.
Sinister Grift Album Artwork:
Sinister Grift Tracklist:
01. Praise
02. Anywhere But Here
03. 50mg
04. Ends Meet
05. Just As Well
06. Ferry Lady
07. Venom’s In
08. Left in the Cold
09. Elegy for Noah Lou
10. Defense
Panda Bear 2024-2025 Tour Dates:
12/04 — Coimbra, PT @ Salão Brazil
12/05 — Vigo, ES @ Radar
12/06 — Valladolid, ES @ El Desierto
12/07 — Porto, PT @ Plano B
12/08 — Lisboa, PT @ ZDB
12/10 — London, UK @ Lexington
12/11 — Berlin, DE @ Lark
12/13 — Paris, FR @ Le Hasard Ludique
02/06 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
02/07 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
02/08 — Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall *
02/10 — Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall *
02/11 — Montreal, QC @ MTELUS *
02/12 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner *
02/14 — New York City, NY @ Terminal 5 *
02/15 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall *
02/16 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
02/19 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz *
02/20 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works *
02/21 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle *
03/20 — Lisboa, PT @ Capitólio
03/21 — Braga, PT @ Theatro Circo
03/22 — Oviedo, ES @ Almacenes
03/23 — Bilbao, ES @ Kafe Antzokia
03/25 — Barcelona, ES @ Paral·lel 62
03/26 — Valencia, ES @ 16 Toneladas
03/27 — Madrid, ES @ La Sala
03/28 — Faro, PT @ Teatro das Figuras
05/08 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
05/12 — Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater *
05/13 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
05/14 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues *
05/16 — Denver, CO @ The Fillmore *
05/19 — San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
05/21 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
05/22 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
05/23 — Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre
* = w/ Toro y Moi