Album Review: Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - "A ? of When"
Panda Bear and Sonic Boom team up once again with a new pop classic, where the two are the best in the game when it comes to crafting some stellar psychedelia combined with 50's/60's pop and rock, along with some amazing songs to boot.
Animal Collective's Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom (Peter Kember) have been connected musically ever since Lennox's days working on his 2011 album Tomboy. Two of Lennox's bandmates, Animal Collective's Deakin and Avey Tare, weren't available to mix the album until Sonic Boom was available to do so, coming off of his success with MGMT's Congratulations (their best album in my opinion). Ever since, Lennox and Kember have been working side by side on albums like Lennox's Panda Bear vs. the Grim Reaper in 2015, but it wasn't until 2022 the duo started releasing music under both of their names together resulting in Reset. Reset is one of my favorite projects the two has ever done, where Kember's psychedelic, hypnotic 50's/60's pop instrumentation matches Lennox's boyish, harmonic vocals. The results seemed effortless with fun, colorful pop gems and plenty of replayability to boot. This spun off further with them releasing a full dub version of the album with Adrien Sherwood and even an EP of mariachi interpretations from Mariachi 2000 de Culberto Pérez.
Now the duo are back with a follow up album. Titled A ? of When, the album's marketing and approach is a bit different than last time. They decided, in a world full of streaming and instant access in a digital dystopia, to release this album only on physical media and digital downloads instead of streaming services. They had in-person listening parties, sold an exclusive seven inch single before the album's announcement (which I happily own) and offered an email newsletter urging people to sign off the internet and "unfollow" Panda Bear & Sonic Boom. It's a cool, refreshing promotion that leads to the themes across this album, which are living in the moment, away from the constant digital cacophony that is smothered across all our attention spans throughout the day.
The instrumentation across A ? of When continues what the duo has successfully done from their last album, which consists of colorful, vibrant, looping psych pop gems that will keep you engaged and satisfied, whether that's from the heavy stomp of the stellar album opener "Never Givin' In" or the heavenly, harmonious lead single "Lucky Charm." There's a great sense of urgency on tracks like the title track, where the driving pace matches with the blissful harmonies, garage rock drums and guitar, and the whirring police car sirens blaring in and out of your headphones. "Be the Bridge" sounds like the most fun and carefree the duo have ever sounded with vocal inflections scattered across the wavy sounds and sunshine pop. "Revive Him" is the clunkiest on the album with its presentation but it's still a good, hypnotic tune. There are beautiful slow burners that grace us, like "Something Like Dreaming," which has lush harp playing, some sounds playing in rapid reverse, and a lead vocal from Kember. "Pray to You" is a pretty acoustic ballad with steel drum and a clear front of center vocal from Lennox and is one of the most straightforward songs they've created. "Like a Moth to a Flame" is similarly crafted, where Kember and Lennox trade vocal harmonies over acoustic bliss and sleigh bells. "Somethin' That Lasts" surprisingly features pedal steel guitar, while "Graveyard" has one of the best quirky grooves on the album.
Thankfully as expected, Panda Bear & Sonic Boom knock it out of the park once again with A ? of When. The tunes are sharp and provide even more experimentation and playfulness than their last album. The production and mixing are immaculate and the vocals are top notch. It's one of the best pop albums you'll hear in 2026 and for good reason. The duo's combination of psychedelia, electronics, and 50's/60's harmonic pop and rock makes a truly exquisite album experience and the duo clearly aren't running out of ideas anytime soon. I can't wait for future projects from either of them, but I'm most anticipated when they're together. When they're making something together, it's always a shoe in for something truly special.
My Rating: 9 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Lucky Charm," "Never Givin' In," "A ? of When," "Something Like Dreaming," "Pray to You," "Graveyard"
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