San Francisco-based outfit Panic Is Perfect make melodic '80s post-punk and Afro-beat-influenced indie pop. Centered around the talents of fellow CalArts classmates singer/multi-instrumentalists Jeremy Belzer and Mike Hoffman, Panic Is Perfect grew out the duo's longtime friendship and shared interest in globetrotting. Prior to forming Panic Is Perfect, Belzer had moved from Kansas City to Los Angeles to attend CalArts on a partial LeRoy Neiman Foundation scholarship. After earning his degree in music composition, he spent several years traveling in Asia, where he lived in various spiritual communities before returning to California to work as a composer in the television and film industry. A drummer from a young age, Los Angeles native Hoffman played in various bands and studied drumming in West Africa before finishing his studies at CalArts. After graduating, he recorded his own eight-track album and toured with several groups including Los Abandoned, the Funnies, and the Afro-beat ensemble Aphrodisia. Initially an acoustic duo, Belzer and Hoffman began writing and performing songs together while touring India by train in 2010. Four months after returning from India, they reconvened in San Francisco, where they added keyboardist Joey Hassid, guitarist Jorge Gonzalez Mendez, and drummer Ty Parker to the group. In 2015, Panic Is Perfect released their debut single, "Go Go Go." ~ Matt Collar