Issued exclusively on vinyl near the beginning of 2018, A Day with the Homies is an EP containing five playful yet low-key tracks by Panda Bear (Animal Collective member Noah Lennox). While 2015's Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper contained some of his most direct songwriting yet, Homies seems content to meander, never settling on anything resembling proper song structure. Even though the EP is devoid of conventional hooks, Lennox still has a highly tuneful, chipper way of singing, and if there were more repetition to these songs, they would be earworms. As they are, the songs are bright, welcoming, a bit bouncy, and explorative, with thick, bassy electronic rhythms framing Lennox's multi-tracked vocals. Opening track "Flight" embodies the theme of camaraderie stated by the EP's title, with slightly goofy lyrics about sticking with "the good crew" through thick and thin. "Part of the Math" starts out with a slow, striking gaze, and it's repeated numerous times until it feels right to launch into the song -- the beat doesn't arrive for over two minutes, but when it does, it's punchy and commanding. "Nod to the Folks" has a bit more of a wayward drift and foghorn-like synths, but its percolating techno beat keeps it on track. "Sunset" is the most daring, exciting production here, exploring a sort of lopsided dancehall rhythm similar to innovative Jamaican crew Equiknoxx, complete with bird sounds and fluttering melodica. The crunchy, skittering beat slams, while Lennox's calm, detached vocals float over it all. The release is best summed up as stream-of-consciousness bubblegum pop, seldom committing to an idea for very long, but still maintaining a driving sense of excitement.