Fair Panic, the eclectic alternative rock band from Bloomfield, NJ, is stepping into a new era with their Love Could EP, a striking departure from their Feels LP. Blending intricate guitar work, orchestral flourishes, and deeply personal songwriting, the band—led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Tory Anne Daines—delivers their first original release since 2018. Rooted in collaboration, the EP features contributions from Brynen Sosa (Mythology), Audra G. Johnson (The Wolf Girl), and a touching tribute to their late bassist and cellist Dan Bindschedler, with his father Jean Bindschedler performing on cello. With a full-length album and international touring on the horizon, we spoke with Fair Panic about their evolving sound, creative process, and what’s next.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
I’m debating kicking everyone out and telling them to rejoin again on the same day, so I have a clean answer when people ask how the band formed. Truth is, Fair Panic formed over many years. The current lineup is the most solid incarnation.
The name Fair Panic means this to me- Accepting you have a fair amount of anxiety and gaining mastery of it, like an entertainer at a fair. It’s a nice scenario because accepting your struggles then becomes an opportunity to reframe it and make people smile too.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
I’ve been a musician my whole life. It was unavoidable with my mother being a professional opera singer. Infant me laid in a carrier at rehearsals straight out the womb. I don’t remember a life without it.
My first band was a hardcore group in Rhode Island called Verbana Darvell. I played electric violin. When I moved to NJ, I played with Theodore Grimm and Bird Seed Bird Seed for a hot minute then joined Those Mockingbirds. I left that group after our second album and started Fair Panic.
First concert that you ever went to?
It’s too embarrassing so let’s go with Ashley Simpson.
What's your writing process like?
I typically bring in the embryo of a song. Then we all help it grow up together.
I tend to write the song embryos in my sleep or while traveling. If I want to be influenced by a specific type of music, I’ll listen to that only for days. I listen to it so much to the point where my dreams are affected. If I get so into a dream melody or song, I wake up and record it. A similar thing happens to me when I’m traveling. I’ll latch on to a random melody. Then I sit in silence and keep it on loop in my head through a state’s length or until it’s morphed into something I want to record.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
The past few years nothing current has inspired me much except Knower. I know it's terrible to say. So much wonderful music was coming out and it wasn't getting the attention it deserved, so it was hard to find and I was so busy listening to country music I had to learn for work. I'm loving what's coming out now though! I have a soft spot for cavity pop. I've been enjoying Madelline. I'm also liking this girl Princess Nostalgia. The production is completely unconventional. There are a bunch of original ideas in there if you're actively listening. Strange Majik is a solid band from NYC too. I had the pleasure of recording violin for their last album and sit in live sometimes. I legitimately like them and the music they make.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
Live music is exciting because of the vulnerability of it. Any performance or recording is a snapshot in time. We bring a lot of energy and vary the music some from the recordings. We're always reworking and reinventing things. We play a few songs off the first album and they're unrecognizable at this point.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?
The band has been around for sometime but this EP is really the launch of it with a solid lineup and with a slew of shows lined up that are listed on our Spotify. All the members have toured with previous groups but Fair Panic is currently in process of setting up some dates in Puerto Rico for early 2026. Our drummer is from there and we have friends in the local scene who are also from there. We're working to bring those bands down along with us.
What's up next for the band?
Fair Panic is working on 2 single collaborations, a cover, music video, and an LP for the remainder of 2025. We're also playing out a lot more and working with other bands to expand our touring territory in a way where we can hit those venues again in 4 months.