The band was formed in 2003[3] by Yoshiko Ohara, an established visual artist based in Osaka, Japan, who "decided to spend her savings on a trip to New York City, brand new recording equipment in tow, with the idea that she’d move to America to make music, this despite the unfortunate fact that she didn’t know how to play an instrument of any kind.

"[4] One such ad posted in a local record store,[4] caught the attention of trio Josh Rothenberger (guitar), Bryan Camphire (bass), Michael Harriff (drums), and Blake McDowell (organ), who responded and subsequently joined Ohara's project, ultimately rounded out by "respected jazz and world music drummer/percussion-ist/tabla-ist"[4] Dan Weiss.

[1] Between 2005 and 2006, the quintet played around New York City opening for such diverse acts as Akron/Family, Genghis Tron, and Mouth of the Architect.

[1][5] Decibel magazine defined the album as "moody,"[4] definition complemented by PopMatters writer Adrien Begrand, who stated, "Singing in both English and Japanese, Ohara could be singing in Esperanto for all we care, as her melodic chants are often difficult to discern, but despite the fact that her lyrics to possess a poetic quality, Pheromone is more about mood than message, her vocals every bit as entrancing as the arrangement behind her.

Jonathan Horsley of Terrorizer commented that "Bloody Panda may be too experimental to win your heart, but they demand your complete, undivided attention.