Personnel: Debbie Harry (vocals); Chris Stein, Tommy Kessler, Paul Carbonara (guitar); Matthew Katz-Bohen (keyboards, programming); Clem Burke (drums); Barb Morrison, Barbara Stein, Akira Stein, Vali Stein, Josh Eppard, James Joe, John Bender, Jimmy Eppard (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Mark Needham.
Recording information: Applehead Recording, Woodstock, NY; Henson Studios, Los Angeles, CA; House Of Loud, Elmwood Park, NJ; Super Buddha Studio, Brooklyn, NY; Water Music, Hoboken, NJ.
Photographer: Eddie Sung.
Delivered eight years after the reunited Blondie's second effort, 2003's The Curse of Blondie, 2011's Panic of Girls rushes forth on a sleek new wave disco pulse that's entirely unconcerned about whether `80s retro is in style this season or not. This is fashionable music existing outside the realm of fashion, Blondie updating their classic styles -- disco-rock, reggae-fied pop, garage bubblegum -- just enough to modernize yet not enough to be unrecognizable. Certainly, Blondie bear some signs of their age -- Debbie Harry's voice may sound a little rough around the edges but the band also has the casual professionalism that comes from decades of play -- but this is not a nostalgia trip, something that's evident from the new millennium paranoia of its opener, "D-Day." Modern topics collide with contemporary sounds and if not everything here is convincing -- notably, the Parisian kitsch of "Le Bleu" strikes a discordant note -- the band's cosmopolitan cool remains attractive. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Professional Reviews
Spin (p.80) - "With synths buzzing like neon, reggae barely winking at dancehall, and Debbie Harry intoning lyrics in French and Spanish, it sounds more '80s than the actual '80s."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.99) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]hankfully the best tracks on PANIC OF GIRLS have some edge and bite. 'Horizontal Twist' is a neat conflation of irreverent garage-punk and airy, synthesized chorus..."
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