“It’s exciting to work with talented people outside the strict structure of a band,” says

bassist/singer James Searl of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS). That statement rang

true during the creation of their diverse new album Love In Time, which comes out April 7 th via

Easy Star Records. Influenced by the need for more social and personal connection during the

pandemic, GPGDS wanted to lean into the “squad” in their name by working and collaborating

with artists outside of their tight knit circle. Their powerful first single “Chants” exemplifies the

approach with the help of legendary vocalist Clinton Fearon (of Gladiators fame) and

Ghanaian atenteben player Dela Botri. The track is available now and can be heard here. The

band also launched a pre-order for the vinyl version of the full album here, which includes

mostly clear, slightly smoky colored vinyl, along with a new long sleeve tee design, and a bundle

that includes a poster, handmade incense and incense holders, and more.

The writing of “Chants” began one month before the band toured with Fearon in 2018. The song

was originally written for bass player James Searl’s son, as a reminder to remember the power

of music when facing times of trouble. The roots of the unmistakable sound of the track comes

from the involvement of Dela Botri, who has been a close contact, collaborator, and teacher to

Searl for over twenty years. Two of the earliest foundational songs in the Panda songbook

(“Burkina Faso” and “Missing You More”) were directly influenced by Searl working with Botri at

the time, and Panda has always wanted to get back to making music with the Ghanaian master.

His instrument, the atenteben, is a Ghanaian bamboo flute, and it adds the distinctive musical

hook heard throughout the song. The presence of these two musical elders certainly shows the

collaborative nature of both the single and the rest of the album. A forthcoming music video also

captures a similar vibe embodying the beautiful reality of travel and musical collaboration, as it

was filmed in Istanbul, Turkey; Accra, Ghana; Seattle, Washington; as well as at many Panda

shows along the way.

The album’s songwriting process was a stark contrast from their previous technique of recording

one song at a time with a focused pace. The start of the sessions had a similar trajectory until

the pandemic hit. Since the band was facing a potential six-month separation at the start of

2020, they rushed into the studio to record as many tracks as possible. After laying down more

than 25 song ideas and riddims in a week, recording with longtime friend Matthew Goodwin (of

The Movement and Easy Star All-Stars), the band then turned to outside producers,

collaborators, and other old colleagues to finish things out. It was perfect timing as everyone

was looking to make a connection, even remotely. The various tracks were sent to three

different camps of musicians, engineers and producers: the production trio Zion I Kings, who

have produced and mixed tracks for Protoje, Akae Beka, Midnite, Lutan Fyah, and many more;

Italian-born international reggae icon Alborosie, who is best known for his own long string of

hits and albums since the early 2000s; and Danny Kalb, a longtime partner of GPGDS who

produced their biggest hit, “Steady,” but is also known for his productions of The Movement,

The Green, Ben Harper, and many others. Originally the idea was to build towards three

different releases, but the diversity of the songs and production styles all complemented each

other in ways the band had not expected. (In fact, it was working with Danny Kalb on the

“Steady” single in 2014 that helped lead to this record; it was one of the first times they had

worked with an outside collaborator, and the process and result were so powerful for the band,

that they strived for similar vibes this time around.) Add in a list of featured guest artists, starting

with Fearon and Botri, plus The Movement, Anthony B, Double Tiger, Blakkamoore, and

Skribe Da God, and it became obvious that selecting the best tracks from all of these sessions

would make for a very dynamic full-length record. The result is Love In Time.

Formed in 2001 in Rochester, NY, Giant Panda first received praise for their live show, which

combined world beats and reggae rhythms with an urgent energy and jamband dynamics. It’s

no surprise that Live For Live Music called the band, “…one of the most innovative and genre-

pushing reggae bands out there.” The twenty year-old band consists of Dylan Savage (guitar,

vocals), James Searl (bass, vocals), Chris O'Brian (drums, vocals), Eli Flynn (guitar, vocals),

and Tony Gallicchio (keyboards). Beyond their celebrated live energy, Panda has also released

six studio albums, ranging from their alternative Americana releases Country (2012) and Bright

Days (2015) to their Billboard Reggae Chart toppers Steady (2014) and Make It Better (2016),

Giant Panda has built an extensive and eclectic catalog that stands the test of time. Love In

Time delivers a fresh new evolution of the band’s trademark sound that results from their newly

collaborative approach.

In conclusion, Searl summarizes, “In the end, Love In Time became exactly what our original

intention was - to make a collaborative record with incredible musicians, producers, and

collected friends worldwide that would stretch our spectrum musically while combining all of the

elements that have defined Giant Pandaʼs sound in the past. Often those sounds and styles

have been found separated on different Giant Panda records, but Love In Time is the best

combination of them all yet.”

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

JAMES SEARL // bass, vox

CHRIS O'BRIAN // drums, vox

 DYLAN SAVAGE // guitar, vox

​TONY GALLICCHIO // keys

ELI FLYNN // guitar, vox