The Release: 'PANDA21'

The Artists: VARIOUS

The Formats: DOWNLOAD / LIMITED EDITION COMPACT DISC

The Release Date: APRIL 20TH 2015

The Label: FIERCE PANDA RECORDS

The Catalogue Number: NONG 99

The Tracklisting (in anti-alphabetical order):
1 TERROR PIGEON 'Girl!'
2 SURFER BLOOD 'Dorian'
3 PILE '#2 Hit Single'
4 PESKY 'Keep Me'
5 PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART, THE 'Simple And Sure'
6 LONGFELLOW 'Medic'
7 HOSTS, THE 'September Song'
8 HELSINKI 'Rising Heights'
9 ALBERT GOLD 'Into The Wild'
10 FAKE LAUGH 'Dopey Head'
11 DOE 'Basement'
12 DESPERATE JOURNALIST 'Control'
13 DALTON 'Breaker'
14 CROOKES, THE 'Play Dumb'
15 ALMA 'The Gardener'

On April 20th 2015 curiously bendy indie label fierce panda celebrates turning 21 by releasing a compilation called 'PANDA21’, a 15-track opus which will be given away abba-solutely free to anyone who buys any record from the www.fiercepanda.co.uk shop between now and whenever. A searingly limited run of CDs will be available from the very same online shop for £2.50, while an unlimited run of digital versions will be available from itunes for the same price. Oh yeah, it's on Spotify as well. 'PANDA21' is coming out on April 20th, so it's kinda tied in with Record Store Day two record store days earlier, although of course for the likes of fierce panda EVERY day is record store day.

So on February 24th 1994 fierce panda launched the New Wave Of New Wave-adoring double vinyl 7" 'Shagging In The Streets' EP. It was going to be our one and only release, which is why we called ourselves something as dumb as fierce panda. Yet somehow here we still are over two decades later and on the very cusp of releasing this, our 99th album. Rather predictably the CD version of 'PANDA21' will be limited to 99 hand-numbered copies and they will come with a free Flake chocolate for that full ice cream van-tastic 99 effect. Yes, we have been spending too much time with Alcopop! Records.

It's scarcely surprising that we should be feeling so upbeat - already in 2015 we have rocketed into the new year with our annual Pandamonium live event, revitalised the classic one-off single format (after a nine year hiatus) with the likes of Fake Laugh, Doe and Albert Gold and released frankly excellent albums by Desperate Journalist, Dalton, Helsinki, Pile and Terror Pigeon, with yet more panda wowiness to come from Surfer Blood, Pesky and Alma. Throw in panda classics by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Crookes and The Hosts, slip into something more comfortable, and come join us at the bar.

Long-time panda enthusiasts may care to recall that previous fierce panda albums have been by the likes of The Walkmen, Ultrasound, Seafood, The Raveonettes, Iliketrains, Goldheart Assembly, Death Cab For Cutie, Capdown, The Blackout and Art Brut. Not forgetting a slew of compilations with moderately gruesome titles like 'Nings Of Desire', 'Nings & Roundabouts' and 'Ningle Bells'. But never 'Lords Of The Nings. Never.

‘PANDA21’ TRACK-BY-TRACK

1. TERROR PIGEON ‘Girl!’ Thrillingly exuberant electro-nerd punk rock from Brooklyn schemester, lifted off the ‘Live It Up Before You Die It Up!’ album (released Sep 22nd 2014).

2. SURFER BLOOD ‘Dorian’ Charmingly chewy indie thrustings from florid Floridians third album ‘1000 Palms’, released on May 25th 2015.

3. PILE ‘#2 Hit Single’ Lurching primetime hardcore devilment from Boston riff-benders, off the ‘You’re Better Than This’ album released on March 2nd 2015.

4. PESKY ‘Keep Me’ Skygazing pop tremblings from sonic youthers straight outta Cumbria. Their first ever release, from the forthcoming debut EP ‘Smells Like Tween Spirit’.

5. PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART ‘Simple And Sure’ Bouncingly bright indiepop from Brooklyn lovehearts. From the ‘Days Of Abandon’ mini-album, released June 2nd 2014.

6. LONGFELLOW ‘Medic’ Heart-palpitating pop madness from epic South London quintet, sneaked off the ‘Remedy’ EP released April 20th 2015.

7. HOSTS, THE ‘September Song’ Thundering classic melodic glory from Sheffield retromantics, off the ‘Softly, Softly’ album, released February 10th 2014.

8. HELSINKI ‘Rising Heights’ Shimmering acoustic frippery via Drew McConnell-from-Babyshambles’ side project, off the ‘A Guide For The Perplexed’ album out March 2nd 2015.

9. ALBERT GOLD ‘Into The Wild’ Smouldering sunshine pop delights from Hackney soulster. The third single in the resurrected panda singles ‘club’, released March 16th 2015.

10. FAKE LAUGH ‘Dopey Head’ Enervating old school indie rompings from Brighton, this is the flip of ‘Kinda Girl’, the first release in the panda’s reactivated singles ‘club’ (released January 13th 2015)

11. DOE ‘Basement’ Shuddering girl-frrrronted punkisms from London trio, this is the flip of ‘Avalanche’, the second release in the panda’s reborn singles ‘club’ (released February 16th 2015)

12. DESPERATE JOURNALIST ‘Control’ Juddering indiegoth machinations from North London-based fiends-for-life, from the ‘Desperate Journalist’ album released on Jan 26th 2015.

13. DALTON ‘Breaker’ Rough’n’tumbling old school rock’n’roll melodrama from American dreamer Dalton’s debut album ‘Dalton’, released February 23rd 2015.

14. CROOKES, THE ‘Play Dumb’ Thumpingly wild (and indeed livid) ALT.ROCK zoomings from Sheffield heart-stealers, off the ‘Soapbox’ album, released April 14th 2014.

15. ALMA ‘The Gardener’ Elegantly sombre orchestral manoeuvres in the dark and the flipside of ‘The Great Escape’, the fifth release in the panda’s reactivated singles ‘club’ (released June 15th 2015)