Gingko is the second album from British indie rock band, Panchiko. They have one of the more fascinating origin stories in the indie rock scene, as they formed in 1997 but disbanded in 2001. In that time period they released an EP, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, which went widely unnoticed until 16 years later in 2016 when a 4chan user shared an image of the record asking for more information about the group and more and more people online got really interested in it, trying to remaster the audio. Due to its age and lack of interest in previous years it had been exposed to disc rot, which really fucked up the sound quality. In 2017, the audio files were uploaded to YouTube creating newfound interest in the band, and a dedicated search from their new fans to learn more information about the band, as they were completely unknown up to this point. Eventually, one of them found the lead singer’s Facebook profile and asked them if they were the lead singer, to which their frontman Owain Davies responded, “Yeah.” Since then they’ve blown up in popularity especially in the UK. I really enjoyed their debut EP, as well. Davies is the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and producer, Andy Wright is another guitarist, as well as the keyboardist, Shaun Ferreday is the bassist, and John Schofield is the drummer. With all that out of the way, how is the album?

    We open up the album with the track, “Florida,” which is a really strong first track. It has these dreamy reverb-drenched guitar chords and Davies’ vocals are so comforting to listen to. The title track, “Gingko,” serves as this dark warning to people who abuse hallucinogenics, as the song is named after a plant that can help with improved memory and lessened anxiety, however it’s a toxin and consuming large amounts of it can cause seizures. The songwriting on this album, for the most part, is really amazing, as it’s vivid, atmospheric, and it resonated with me long after I finished listening to the record. “Shandy in the Graveyard,” featuring billy woods, is one of the tracks I really didn’t like. The lyrics aren’t bad, the production is solid, and Davies’ vocal performance is soothing, but billy woods’ verse just sounds really awkward in its delivery, as it is off beat quite frequently. “Honeycomb,” has this melancholy feeling that calls back to failed relationships and just overall heartbreak, as does much of this album. “Shelled and Cooked,” and “Lifestyle Trainers,” have this really trippy psychedelic sound to them, and “Chapel of Salt,” is solid as well. “Vinegar,” is a track I really didn’t feel super strong feelings for, as I found the singing to be pretty weak. “Mac’s Omelette,” is probably my favorite track on the entire album, as I love the guitar riffs, vocals, and overall hazy vibe of the production. Some other songs on this thing I’d recommend are “Formula,” and “Innocent.” 

   All in all, Gingko serves as a very solid follow-up to their 2023 debut record, it’s not without its flaws, but as for an indie rock album, it’s definitely one of the strongest ones that I’ve heard so far this year. I really want to get into more of their early stuff, as I find the backstory and overall vibe of the band to very captivating and unique.

Overall Score: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: “Mac’s Omelette,” “Chapel of Salt,” Lifestyle Trainers,” “Honeycomb,” “Florida,” “Gingko,”

Least Favorite Tracks: “Shandy in the Graveyard,” “Vinegar,”

Listen: https://youtu.be/nYXpWKnrWsY?si=GIiWvRRvhmDvq9Ty

Genres: Indie Rock/Neo-Psychedelia/Art Rock/Dream Pop