Electro-Swing Act Caravan Palace Releases New Album: PANIC

The sophomore release for any initially successful music act is a looming hurdle to overcome. On the one hand, the band has the momentum still going from their first release. On the other hand, the pressure to create something equally as successful both financially and creatively is very high. At the same time, how does a band craft a release that will allow them to mature and grow while still appealing to dedicated first-release fans?

With PANIC, Caravan Palace stays within the boundaries of the Electro-Swing sound, yet plays around with some of its conventions. The swing, house, and down-tempo influences are all still here, but many of the songs branch off into uncharted territory. A great example of this can be found in “Rock It For Me”, a track borrowing from the swing era, but more predominately from Rock and Roll and Rockabilly. “Dirty Side of the Street” begins like a Daft Punk Homework-era House Anthem, and quickly turns into straight up 4-on-the-floor Swing House. “Queens” opens the album with an interesting mix of dub reggae, down-tempo, and big band sounds. For the DJs, “Panic”, “Dramaphone”, “Clash” and “Beataphone” are fun and club friendly, while “Maniac” and “Newbop” are more suitable for a relaxed, downtempo set.

Download “Dirty Side of the Street” for a taste of the new album here.

This album was released March 5th, 2012, and is available on iTunes or on Caravan Palace’s website