The Japanese rock band Doping Panda was formed in 1997 by bassist Taro Houjou, vocalist/guitarist Yutaka Furukawa, and drummer Hayato Beat. Signed to Diwphalanx Records, the group debuted with 2001's Performation and returned in 2002 with Pink Pank. Although neither album charted in Japan, Doping Panda's third release, We in Music, reached Number 48 on the Oricon Albums Chart in 2004, with 2006's Dandyism climbing as high as Number 18. "Miracle," Dandyism's biggest single, became the band's first Top 40 single in Japan, followed by the Number 32 hit "Crazy" (from 2008's Dopamaniacs), the Number 23 hit "Beautiful Survivor" (from 2009's Decadence), and the Number 24 single "Majestic Trancer" (also from Decadence, featuring guest vocals from the Japanese hip-hop artist Verbal). After a string of Top 40 successes, Doping Panda stalled at Number 57 with the band's 2011 release, Yellow Funk, and the group broke up shortly thereafter, following a show at Tokyo Dome City Hall in April 2012. The band's three members focused on different projects for the following decade, only to reunite in 2022 for another Doping Panda album. The self-titled Doping Panda was released in March 2022, featuring tracks like "Imagine" and "Kiss My Surrender."
