Panel is a new band fronted by Annie Sparrows whom some may remember from her early '00s group, the Soviettes. She's since performed and recorded with bands like Awesome Snakes, the God Damn Doo Wop Band, and more recently Bermuda Squares, and green/blue. However, Panel is a different kind of project for her. "A Great Time to Be an Empath" is the first record for which she's been the sole songwriter, and the most emotionally vulnerable she's allowed herself to be with others, both musically and personally. It was written during a long grief-induced nervous breakdown, after years of watching Progressive Supranuclear Palsy slowly paralyze and ultimately take away her biggest champion and hero, her beloved auntie, Renee Anita. The record documents the volatile ups and downs that rode shotgun to absolute sadness peppered with mental illness (Victoria, Two Little Dogs, Neurotica), and loss of will sprinkled with nihilism & mania (Solid Start, Breakdown, Yeah). It also features a Japanther song which she had recorded with them in 2009 during an earlier unstable time - it represents an important friendship and experience which both grounded her and re-lit her spark. Being able to turn to music and people who you can relate to can save your life. To that end, Panel is more than its songs it's a band of friends: Kat Naden (The God Damn Doo Wop Band, Strait A's), Zac Mayeux (Texture Freq, Notches), and Justin Nelles (Lutheran Heat, Lifestyle Shakes). This is their offering to you.