In his freshly released single “don’t panic,” the synthwave maestro Van Horton reinstates himself as a pulsating force in the nocturnal ether, part hushed whisper, part adrenaline injection. Rooted as a long-time figure in North Carolina’s musical heart, with over two decades of service at WKNC-FM, Horton brings about something that sounds both instantly intimate and broadly expansive.
“don’t panic” kicks off with floating, dreamy pads that slowly evolve into a big, freeze-frame of analog warmth. Your ears are grown squarely between sentimental 80s memories and the spikiness of modern production. Horton proves that he knows how to build space, tension, and release. When the kick hits, when the arpeggios cascade, you lean in.
What’s fascinating is how human this song still sounds. You feel the hands-on touch throughout, no cold abstraction, but a portrait painted by someone who knows how much every tone, every silence, and all that momentum weigh reflections of quiet tease at more intimate lyrics, churning beneath the neon sheen of the emotional center.
“don’t panic,” feels like anything but a studio project, however, Horton has deep community roots in North Carolina, one he established by recording DJ sets and working at WKNC-FM beginning in 2003, and continues to have with the area’s creators. It’s as if it were a message to friends, neighbors, and listeners. He’s here to stay, still in touch, still pushing the sound out.
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