Hot Panda

The album cover is one for the ages, but apart from the penis-adorned artwork, there's nothing much to be shocked about on Go Outside. Hot Panda's third album isn't a huge departure from their last two, with cutesy punk spazz-outs going toe to toe with more sombre, menacing material. There's nothing quite crazy enough, however, to be truly exciting and the slower numbers offer little in the way of texture or atmosphere. It's not a total bust, since fans of the band's previous albums will no doubt enjoy fiery opener "One in the Head, One in the Chest" and the quirky tropical riffs adorning "Maybe Now?" Sluggish tunes like the campfire-style "Littered Coins" and the lyrically awkward "Holidays" (which resembles a lifeless adaptation of the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York"), however, make this a patchy effort.