“It’s exciting to work with talented people outside the strict structure of a band,” says

bassist/singer James Searl of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS). That statement rang

true during the creation of their diverse new album Love In Time, which comes out April 7 th via

Easy Star Records. Influenced by the need for more social and personal connection during the

pandemic, GPGDS wanted to lean into the “squad” in their name by working and collaborating

with artists outside of their tight knit circle. Their powerful first single “Chants” exemplifies the

approach with the help of legendary vocalist Clinton Fearon (of Gladiators fame) and

Ghanaian atenteben player Dela Botri. The track is available now and can be heard here. The

band also launched a pre-order for the vinyl version of the full album here, which includes

mostly clear, slightly smoky colored vinyl, along with a new long sleeve tee design, and a bundle

that includes a poster, handmade incense and incense holders, and more.

The writing of “Chants” began one month before the band toured with Fearon in 2018. The song

was originally written for bass player James Searl’s son, as a reminder to remember the power

of music when facing times of trouble. The roots of the unmistakable sound of the track comes

from the involvement of Dela Botri, who has been a close contact, collaborator, and teacher to

Searl for over twenty years. Two of the earliest foundational songs in the Panda songbook

(“Burkina Faso” and “Missing You More”) were directly influenced by Searl working with Botri at

the time, and Panda has always wanted to get back to making music with the Ghanaian master.

His instrument, the atenteben, is a Ghanaian bamboo flute, and it adds the distinctive musical

hook heard throughout the song. The presence of these two musical elders certainly shows the

collaborative nature of both the single and the rest of the album. A forthcoming music video also

captures a similar vibe embodying the beautiful reality of travel and musical collaboration, as it

was filmed in Istanbul, Turkey; Accra, Ghana; Seattle, Washington; as well as at many Panda

shows along the way.