Joe Average Ignite the Scene Again with “Panic Buttons”

Some reunions feel inevitable in hindsight. For Brighton’s Joe Average, the path back to music was anything but ordinary. More than three decades since their last official release, the original trio Rich, Mad Mick, and Prof have re-emerged with Panic Buttons, a track that straddles the euphoric chaos of the late 1980s rave explosion and the polish of modern electronic production. Released on July 8, 2025, it is a statement piece that proves unfinished business in music can be worth the wait.

From the moment Panic Buttons begins, there is a visceral pulse that speaks to the group’s roots in sweaty, strobe lit London clubs. Mick’s unmistakable saxophone, once etched into underground history with the Infinity hook, winds through Rich’s tightly driven drums with a sense of both nostalgia and urgency. Prof’s keys, airy yet insistent, give the track its emotional undertow, the connective tissue between eras. The inclusion of Faber on vocals injects a fresh edge: her delivery cuts between soulful defiance and electric bite, commanding the beat without overpowering it.

There is a physicality to the production. Live drums pound with the weight of someone who knows what it means to lose and regain the ability to play. The sax does not simply solo; it prowls. Synth layers rise and fall like heat waves off asphalt, each swell a reminder of how far the band has travelled from their days on the cusp of fame.

The story behind Panic Buttons is as compelling as its sound. A chance reunion on Friday the 13th, a decades long search for a lost bandmate, a keyboardist found in the same rave top he wore in 1989, it is the kind of serendipity you could not script. And it gives the single a weight that goes beyond beats per minute. This is not a nostalgia trip. It is the sound of unfinished work finally finding its moment.

For those who were there at the start, Panic Buttons is a rush of recognition. For new listeners, it is a bold introduction to a band with a past worth knowing and a future worth watching.

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