After Animal Collective spent most of 2025 commemorating the 20th anniversary of Feels, Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Sonic Boom (Pete Kember) are moving forward with their latest joint album. Spanning 10 tracks, A ? of WHEN is due out July 10th via Domino.
The follow-up to 2022’s generally great Reset, A ? of WHEN trails similar musical territory, a record “built on loops of harp and sequences of steel drum, webs of pedal steel, and even bits of a mariachi band from Mexico City,” according to a press release. Across the LP, the duo are joined by a suite of collaborators, including harpist Mary Lattimore, British multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan (Sun O))), Ulver), and steel guitarist Zena Kay.
As a counter to the more playful sonic output, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom delve into deep waters thematically. That includes “online exhaustion and pervasive depression” and “political chicanery and ecological sustainability,” with the pair dissecting these heady ideas while still “advocating for respecting the power of luck and giving one another grace in a moment when very few of us actually know what the hell is happening.” There is, however, apparently lyrics referencing “kitty cats and flip-flops,” so that’s super fun.
To better explain the album, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom have shared a statement (that also reads as quite intense spoken word):
Change. Exciting & frightening at the same time. The slow slips & the big shifts. Highs & lows from the distraction of connectivity.
AI slop becomes an AI slope. Algorithm tables & algorithms tumble.
We’re taking things a little off piste.
More rock n’ roll than flick & scroll…
From here on in we’re getting back to a place of real connectivity and as you might have noticed from our new “Graveyard”/“Lucky Charm” 7″ (only available from record stores) there’s no streaming, no videos, and a minimisation of online everything.
Going forward we’re looking to radio, live shows, listening parties, Q&A sessions & real life interactions to get back to a place we feel makes more sense.
To that end, we’re asking you to join us offline, outside of social media. To meet us in the real world. IRL not URL…
We’ve already heard two album tracks in “Graveyard” and “Lucky Charm,” which were released in April as a Record Store Day 7-inch. Today, they’ve shared the title track, which is about “that inexorable moment when all the shit we’ve f**ked up finally catches up with us…the sound of looking out at the world, sighing, and transforming it into ebullient songs with your friend, anyway.” Listen to it below.
A ? of WHEN will be available on several formats: pink vinyl (indie store exclusive), orange vinyl (via Domino Mart), black vinyl, CD, baby pink/pisello green cassette, and digital download. Pre-orders are available now via Domino Mart and Bandcamp.
AnCo also released new music in 2025: “Collision Deep” (for an Asheville benefit comp) and “Love On the Big Screen” (their first song as a foursome since 2023).
In support of A ? of WHEN, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom will be holding special listening parties in Europe/the UK for late June. Those are then followed by a series of festival dates for July. Check out their full schedule following the album details.
A ? of WHEN Artwork:
A ? of WHEN Vinyl Packaging:
A ? of WHEN Tracklist:
01. Never givin’ in
02. Lucky Charm
03. Revive him
04. Something like dreaming
05. A ? of WHEN
06. Pray to you
07. Be the bridge
08. Like a moth to the flame
09. Somethin’ that lasts
10. Graveyard
Panda Bear and Sonic Boom 2026 Tour Dates:
6/20 – Lisbon, PT @ Cosmos *
6/24 – Paris, FR @ Lithium *
6/25 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East *
6/26 – Berlin, DE @ Rough Trade *
6/27 – Porto, PT @ Studio Sparks *
07/03 – Gdynia, PL @ Open’er Festival
07/04 – Roskilde, DN @ Roskilde Festival
07/12 – Jäneda, EE @ Kikimu Festival
* = A ? of WHEN listening party
