From the sounds of the first single off Panther’s German-released 12", »The Birds«, it seems as though the local dance duo has strayed from its electro-psych funk base. »Like A Bridge On Fire« is a hell of a lot barer than the tracks that comprise »14kt Gold«, the 12" predecessor. The song focuses around vocalist Charlie Salas-Humara’s (of beloved spazz rockers The Planet The) crooning atop cymbal heavy drums and a delicate keyboard melody. And though during the chorus the music becomes slightly more disorganized and chaotic, the sound levels don’t change, preserving a sense of calmness. The song glides back to simplicity with the next verse. During the bridge, Salas-Humara adds spacey keyboard blips to the mix, but this is nothing compared to the pedal-effect saturated guitars, laptop samples, and spastic synthesizers present in »14kt Gold«. And whereas Salas-Humara frequently altered the sound of his voice in the duo’s early releases on Kill Rock Stars, his vocals are more au naturale and clean than on his older work. The band admits that this record is going to sound different than its previous album, but the guys also say they are stoked about the release, describing it as more epic and poppy.