Panda Bear and Sonic Boom Ditch Streaming for New Album 'A ? of WHEN'
Panda Bear and Sonic Boom Ditch Streaming for New Album 'A ? of WHEN'
Tired of the digital scroll? Panda Bear and Sonic Boom are back with a new album that rejects streaming and embraces the real world. Get the details on 'A ? of WHEN' here.
In a world where we’re constantly glued to our screens, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom are asking us to take a breath and look up. The duo, made up of Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox and Spacemen 3’s Pete Kember, has officially announced their second collaborative album, titled "A ? of WHEN." But there’s a twist that might surprise modern music fans: you won’t find this one on your favorite streaming platforms.
The new project follows their successful 2022 debut, "Reset," but takes a much firmer stance against the digital age. Lennox and Kember described the album as a reaction to "online exhaustion" and the "AI slop" that dominates our feeds. As they put it, "AI slop becomes an AI slope," and they are trading the "flick and scroll" culture for something they call "real connectivity," emphasizing physical media like vinyl, CDs, and cassettes over algorithms.
The duo is making it clear that they want to meet their fans in the real world. They plan to skip traditional music videos and streaming releases in favor of radio broadcasts, live shows, and listening parties. Their goal is to move from "URL to IRL," getting back to a place of genuine interaction. It’s a bold move in 2024, but for these two experimental icons, it’s all about returning to a process that makes sense to them.
Musically, "A ? of WHEN" isn’t just a solo effort. The ten-track album features a rich cast of contributors, including harpist Mary Lattimore, multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan, and pedal steel guitarist Zena Kay. Fans of their previous work will also be happy to hear the return of Mexico City’s Mariachi 2000 de Cutberto Pérez, who previously appeared on their "Reset Mariachi EP."
The tracklist includes songs like "Graveyard" and "Lucky Charm," which were first teased as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl for Record Store Day. While the lyrics touch on heavy subjects like depression and the frightening shifts of technology, the pair insists that "musical play" remains at the heart of their creative partnership. If you’re looking to hear the full project, you’ll need to head to a local record store or visit Bandcamp when it drops.
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