Panic Baby

Raquel Willand was born to sing. If her participation at this year's Phoenix Rock Lottery wasn't proof enough of her talents, do a Google search, and chances are you'll come across her old SoundCloud page. Even on those old tracks, she showed tremendous promise as a vocalist. Fast-forward to 2015, when Willand answered Jared Wood's Craigslist ad looking for bandmates. Since then, the Phoenix quartet went through several name and stylistic changes before settling on the bluesy rock elegance of Panic Baby. The single "Don't (Lie to Me)" brings out the passion of Willand's vocals, which will serve the band well as they prepare to release more music this year. - Phoenix New Times

Finding the perfect band name is tough. Phoenix quartet Panic Baby can attest to that. Formerly, they were known as The Real Fits. And before that, they were The Fits.

Of course, the band-naming process can happen in fits and starts (pun intended). The Rolling Stones and The Beatles were known by several monikers before they settled on those final names. So Nick Smith, Jared Wood, Devin Russell, and Raquel Willand of Panic Baby are in good company. And they don’t regret the revisions. But they do wish they had made a final decision before they gave away condoms emblazoned with The Real Fits. At least there would have been a good joke behind the gimmick.

“When we make the Panic Baby condoms, they will have a whole different meaning,” Smith says. “There’s no need to panic, baby.”

Sure, raunchy stunts can get you recognition when you’re trying to make a name for yourself in the Valley music scene. But throughout the name changes, Panic Baby also have changed the way they write music. You can hear the progress they’ve made since the band began playing in fall 2015.

What started as a fun escape from mundane day jobs became a slightly more serious affair when the band members’ confidence in the music — and each other — started to take hold.

The Real Fits had a catchy synth-pop feel. When the band amended their handle, they shoved that sound in a closet somewhere along with unsold merch displaying that name. (Those leftover souvenir condoms have mysteriously disappeared, according to Willand.)

By contrast, Panic Baby’s sound has a bluesy vibe that recalls early Alabama Shakes. Tracks like the emotional “Don’t (Lie To Me)” are propelled by Willand’s sultry vocals.

“We enjoy pushing the songs further based on each person’s opinion,” Willand says of the band’s creative process.

The group met when Wood placed a Craigslist ad. Willand and Wood laugh when they recall her bringing Mace to the first band meeting. Wood thought Smith and Willand were the perfect fit and felt they had an instant rapport. And once Russell, who lived in the same Tempe apartment complex as Smith, joined the band last year following the departure of Blair Furmanski, the group decided to revisit their name.

“We just felt like it was a different band,” Wood says of the most recent name change. “We were writing different music.”

Panic Baby are starting to see both the name change and years of hard work pay off. - Phoenix New Times

Panic Baby is the new moniker of the Phoenix 4-piece that previously performed as The Real Fits and they have a brand new single to mark the transition. Shaping out a sound on the rowdier side of the indie rock spectrum, Panic Baby has some serious bluesy rock undertones – and a fierce vocalist to boot. Think Grace-Slick Bar-Rock and you’ll be somewhere in the neighborhood of Panic Baby… or you could just check out their latest single for yourself below. “Heavy” was recorded by Dominic Armstrong at FiveThirteen in Tempe. - Yab Yum Music & Arts

Phoenix, Arizona rock band The Real Fits have released their new track ‘Roadblock’, it is the first song they have released with the band in its current form, Raquel Willand (vocals), Nick Smith (bass), Jared Wood (guitar) and Devin Russell (drums) and is also the first song they started working on with producer, Dominic Armstrong.
‘Roadblock’ is a sway-like indie track with subtle reggae hints. Starting with delicate guitar twinkles and a groovy bassline the track eases in with a mellow soft atmosphere. The song builds towards the chorus becoming more raw and sharp. Coated in darker tones with edgy guitar strides and emotional vocals its spine tingling and chilling in parts. You witness the track grow and blossom with its sweet melody and gentle light instrumentation to start, to a darker hued heavier sound with stinging splintery guitar bursts. The Real Fits manage to create a track that blends smooth and heavy sounds filled with emotion and passion.
When asked about the track guitarist Jared Wood said
“Roadblock has been on the shelf for a little while and finally working it through has felt incredible. The song took on a heavier sound while remaining delicate. Having a producer with an outside perspective has been a treat, helping us push our songs to their potential. It’s a great feeling to be 100% satisfied with our product and to be so proud of it. We’ll be in and out of the studio regularly for the remainder of 2017 as we continue to push ourselves and our sound.” - Indie Buddie

“Roadblock” is the newest release from Tempe, Arizona-based The Real Fits. The track starts out subdued with an acoustic flair yet progresses into a slow burner that commands your attention. The unique combination of Raquel Willand’s delicate vocals and the interesting timing of the track makes this tune a perfect indie rocker.

The band just released “Roadblock” with the help of producer Dominic Armstrong and couldn’t be happier with the results. The quartet will be in and out of the studio this year continuing to craft their sound for future releases.

This single is available now from their Bandcamp page.

The Real Fits are Raquel Willand (vocals), Nick Smith (bass), Jared Wood (guitar), and Devin Russell (drums). - The Revue

This Phoenix 4-piece formed just a few short years back but it seems like they’ve already become a Valley staple. Just last weekend, they played at ThirdSpace with Moontrax and Vintage Clothes on Saturday before booking it down to Tucson for a gig at Club Congress on Sunday. AND, to top it all off, they just dropped this new single (complete with music video) on the first of the month. If you’re down with soulful indie, you should check out “Salt” from Panic Baby. - Yab Yum Music & Arts