The runner-up in The Deli Philly’s Best of 2013 Emerging Artists Poll is the dance-inducing crew, Night Panther. They describe their musical style as “sex pop,” an apt title for the band’s hazy glamour. The group released their self-titled album in mid-2013 via Small Plates Records, an LP rife with infectious beats and seductive singing, taking a page from legends such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. Underneath all of the electronic dazzle, however, lies some serious soul. Songs like “Queen Bitch” reveal the softer side of the band, a sentimental ballad of lost love, with heart-tugging lyricism and vocals that would seem right at home in a stadium venue, surrounded by thousands of lighters, alit and waving. Just like moments in the bedroom, Night Panther’s eponymous album listens like a well-versed Lothario with a perfected technique. Knowing just when to speed things up and when to slow them down, the band expresses a versatility that will surely take them outside the sphere of Philadelphia. No matter where they go, Night Panther is sure to seduce all whom cross their path. – Shaylin O’Connell
