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Jun 25, 2021 By Caleb Campbell

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Ellsworth stays busy, moving between projects with Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes, DARKMINDS, and Chaos Emeralds. Most recently he’s taken to recording under his own name as well, releasing his solo debut EP, I Have, in April, with another EP, No Clue, due out this summer. Today he returns with his latest single, “Panic Button (Calm Down).”

Though his solo work represents a shift from the indie rock of Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes or the electro pop of Chaos Emeralds, one thing that remains constant is Ellsworth’s ear for an irresistible pop hook. “Panic Button” is no exception. Though the lyrics reflect on mounting anxiety and existential dread, the core of the track lies in its earworm hook. Ellsworth packs all of last year’s isolation and confusion into a nervous, driving burst of melody and cathartic release.

Ellsworth says of the track, “I wrote and recorded this song with Jake Bowman and Jordan Blackmon at New Monkey Studio in LA. It was the last in-person recording session any of us had right before the lockdown last year. There was so much fear and unknown about the future, the only thing we could really write about was the anxiety from what was happening. More broadly, the song is about feeling completely isolated as the world around you seems to be crumbling.”

Check out the song and video below and watch for the No Clue EP, out this summer.