Today, Panchiko — the British band whose upside-down, found media origin story ignited a passionate global fanbase and launched them to genuine stardom — announce Chimera, a new album out April 9 via Nettwerk. Preorder / presave Chimera here.

Accompanying today’s announcement is lead single “One Car Hits Another (ft. Mei Semones),” a glitchy and fatalistically romantic 6/8 shuffle that strikes a rich vein between anthemic Britpop grandeur and the frayed indie fantasias of Grandaddy or The Flaming Lips. Listen to “One Car Hits Another (ft. Mei Semones)” here.

Of the track, Panchiko’s Andy Wright shares:

“I imagined a serene waltz of a car crash, whilst onlookers and soon-to-be roadkill alike all sing along watching the slow motion collision unfold. A hand shake, or a car crash, the matter of fact news report describing the incident never makes it clear where the true devastation lies… one car hits another… one hand shakes another; they’re both meetings, technically. “

Lush and dizzying as ever, Panchiko infuse Chimera with a vivid and ever-shifting sonic palette that swivels between pensive balladry and bounding hip-hop, racing shoegaze and springtime pop — all recorded in their own studio, a cozy workshop built steadily over the past decade. By indulging in the process and seeing what inchoate notions stuck around the longest, Chimera morphed into something glorious: a portal into Panchiko’s uncanny and unexpected world, colored by their singular journey and the special relationship they’ve cultivated with their fans.

Three decades ago, four teenage pals from Nottingham combined Britpop glow with interests in home-recording and the exploding nerd subculture of video games and anime. They called themselves Panchiko and made a record called D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L. They found a little momentum, and then, as most bands mostly do, stalled. But 16 years later, the right fan found a copy in a local charity shop, and that fan found the right series of online communities that eventually tracked down Panchiko and, after multiple bursts of virality, prompted people who had mostly gotten on with their adult lives to reunite.

In the last several years, Panchiko — now composed of original members Andy Wright (keyboardist and producer) and Owain Davies (vocalist and guitarist), alongside new members guitarist Robert Harris, bassist Shaun Ferreday, and drummer Jon Nellen — have toured the world and made two albums (while becoming dads and studio owners and full-time musicians.

The impossible-seeming origin story is matched by a ballooning fan community (including 6 million monthly Spotify listeners) and the attendant live engagements, held in ever-bigger venues each time they come around. Panchiko are always pleasantly surprised at how they’ve been embraced by a younger generation: They’re often fans’ first-ever concerts, and they receive a staggering amount of organic social media support: “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” is currently at #5 on TikTok’s US Trending Songs Chart and has steadily remained in the Top 200 of Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA Chart.

Panchiko are currently on a sold-out headlining tour of the UK and Ireland, a run that includes Roundhouse in London and Dublin’s Vicar Street. See full tour dates here — more are imminent.