Spaceface Rise From the Ashes of a Near-Breakup with the Funky “Panoramic View” (premiere)

Spaceface almost broke up. After two EPs and a full-length album, Sun Kids (2017), Jake Ingalls of the Flaming Lips was ready to close up shop on his psychedelic side project, wallowing in writer’s block. “One day,” he says, “I found myself mining the graveyard of our old tunes in a forgotten file sharing folder we had, and I found something I really dug.” The band took the song, in addition to some other long-forgotten demos, to producer Jarod Evans. That first track, “Panoramic View”, is the new single from their upcoming album (to be released in 2020). Spaceface are also touring with White Denim in November.

The single, the video of which is premiering here on PopMatters, examines the dichotomy of wealth and poverty as well as imposter syndrome and having it all without realizing it. “It’s about a friend of ours,” Ingalls says, “who had it all and just didn’t realize it.” The song bounces along on a funky ’70s groove with light psychedelic effects that never seem to overpower the strong melodies. “You had a panoramic view,” the lyrics begin, “Million dollar car to match your room.” The song contains the kind of trippy grooves that Flaming Lips fans will flock to, but it’s also user-friendly enough for mainstream pop audiences.

The video supports the feel of the tune, as it’s not a band performance clip but more a mood piece with retro graphics and a distinct orange hue to a great deal of the images. Sure, it may come off to jaded viewers as the work of someone messing with a vintage graphics package and a hefty block of time on an edit suite, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The song and its video are a perfect match and a sunny, groovy trip. It’s too late for a summer single, but “Panoramic View” will guide you through the chill of autumn and winter.