It’s a good week to be an Animal Collective fan. Not only did the band drop their first ever NPR Tiny Desk Concert yesterday, but today, Panda Bear has just announced a collaborative album with Sonic Boom called Reset. Panda Bear’s Noah Lennox and Sonic Boom’s Peter Kember (of 80s British space rock band Spacemen 3) have been longtime collaborators, with Kember co-producing both Panda Bear’s Tomboy in 2011 and Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper in 2015. Now both musicians live in Portugal and the album of their dreams is due out on August 12th.
While it’s Lennox’s moniker that carries the weight here, Kember is no slouch. Along with his work on Panda Bear’s albums, he also co-produced Beach House’s 7 and MGMT’s Congratulations. His library of mid-20th century doo-wop and soul merges with Panda Bear’s unique electronic wavelengths on the album and we get a taste of what they’re creating on the fantastic single “Go On.”
The track has the familiar didgeridoo effect that’s been a staple in both Panda Bear and Animal Collective’s music, but with a swath of that retro rock vibe. “Go On” in fact opens with a sample from 60’s garage rockers The Troggs’ “Give It To Me.” The video is a kaleidoscopic journey inside of a digital world that meets at the intersection of a Rube Goldberg and an elaborate pinball machine.
Watch the video for “Go On” above and check out the Reset album artwork and tracklist below.
1. “Gettin’ to the Point”
2. “Go On”
3. “Everyday”
4. “Edge of the Edge”
5. “In My Body”
6. “Whirlpool”
7. “Danger”
8. “Livin’ in the After”
9. “Everything’s Been Leading to This”Reset is out on 08/12 via Domino Recordings. Pre-order it here.