Long awaited new album from High Llamas arrives in March

High Llamas' new single “Toriafan,” previews their upcoming 11th studio album, Hey Panda, set to arrive on LP/CD/Digital, March 29 via Drag City.

Watch + share the visualizer for “Toriafan” via YouTube. Pre-order/save Hey Panda here.

Discussing “Toriafan,” leader Sean O’Hagan notes, "The song is about learning through action and not through the page. It speaks to those with dyslexia. I did not learn well in the classroom. I was a slow reader and to this day learn as a listener and conversationalist. I failed all my exams and worked on construction sites and car factories from 15 to 23. It features vocals from my daughter Livvy, Rae Morris and Fryars, plus a really confusing chord journey that could be Connie Converse but then falls away like Dorothy Ashby."

There are two songs co-written with Bonnie “Prince” Billy (who bonded with Sean over a shared love of gospel soul during writing sessions). With Hey Panda, Sean’s production procedural has evolved past the upgrades heard on his 2019 solo effort, Radum Calls, Radum Calls, and his 2021 cover of Billie Eilish’s “wish you were gay” (featuring Bill Callahan and Bonnie “Prince” Billy). Sean’s drawn from working with artists like King Krule, Pearl and The Oysters, while also soaking up the work of Tierra Whack and Chicago’s Pivot Gang, and being cheered on from a distance by long-time admirer Tyler, The Creator.

Soul music inspirations fed High Llamas' 2007 album Can Cladders; similarly, electronic dance music was in the mix of 1998's Cold and Bouncy. The new sound shares the impulse of late-period Miles Davis and Quincy Jones (with further inspiration from Steve Lacy, SZA, Sault, Noname and Ezra Collective).

Tracklist:

01. Hey Panda
02. Fall Off The Mountain
03. Bade Amey
04. Sisters Friends
05. How The Best Was Won
06. The Grade
07. Yoga Goat
08. Stone Cold Slow
09. Toriafan
10. Hungriest Man
11. The Water Moves
12. La Masse