Reset (Panda Bear and Sonic Boom album) explained

Reset is an album by Panda Bear and Sonic Boom (the respective stage names of Noah Lennox and Peter Kember), released on August 12, 2022 through Domino. It marks the duo's first collaborative album; Kember had previously co-produced Lennox's Tomboy (2011) and Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (2015).

Composition

Much of the album is built on a bedrock of sampled loops taken from the intros of various 1950s and 1960s pop songs, with Panda Bear and Sonic Boom sharing vocal duties on top of these.

Release

The album was released on August 12, 2022, through Domino Recording Company.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Reception

In a positive review for Pitchfork, Daniel Felsenthal wrote that the album was "the most pleasurable release" of both Lennox and Kember's career. He added, "Less palliative than corrective, Reset is a dose of human lightness in the drudgery of the now."^[4] Writing for AllMusic, Fred Thomas noted that "There's a sense that the heightened collaborative element takes the pressure off of both artists, and the songs sound like two old friends joyfully exchanging ideas and toying with the possibilities of their sound." In a mixed review, Thomas Bedenbaugh of Slant Magazine opined that the album "revels in the whimsical sounds of '50s and '60s pop and rock but lacks the memorable songwriting that made much of the best music from that era so indelible."

Reset in Dub

On July 13, 2023, the duo announced a dub rework of the album called Reset in Dub, helmed by British dub producer Adrian Sherwood. The album was released digitally on August 18 by Domino,^[5] and on vinyl on December 8. The first single, "Whirlpool Dub (Adrian Sherwood Reset in Dub Remix)", was released the same day as the announcement.^[6]

Track listing

Notes

• "Gettin' to the Point" contains samples of "Three Steps to Heaven", written by Bob Cochran and Eddie Cochran, and performed by Eddie Cochran.^[7]
• "Go On" contains samples of "Give It to Me", written by Reg Presley and performed by the Troggs.^[8]
• "Edge of the Edge" contains samples of "Denise" written by Neil Mel Levenson and performed by Randy & the Rainbows.^[9]
• "Danger" contains a sample of "Love of My Life" written by Boudleaux Bryant and performed by the Everly Brothers.^[10]
• "Livin' in the After" contains samples of "Save the Last Dance for Me", written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, and performed by the Drifters.

Personnel

• Panda Bear – vocals, percussion, bass guitar, Arturia MicroFreak, acoustic guitar, Vox Starstream guitar, production, recording, mixing
• Sonic Boom – vocals, loops, percussion, effects, Yamaha PSS-480, Eventide H910 Harmonizer, Teenage Engineering OP-1, production, recording, mixing
• Paul Mac – mastering
• Guilherme Gonçalves – recording
• Marco Papiro – artwork

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sherburne . Philip . July 13, 2022 . Panda Bear and Sonic Boom Wring Joy Out of Terrible Times on Their Collaborative Album Reset . Pitchfork . Condé Nast . https://web.archive.org/web/20220713161201/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/panda-bear-and-sonic-boom-wring-joy-out-of-terrible-times-on-their-collaborative-album-reset/ . July 13, 2022.
2. Web site: Aubrey . Elizabeth . July 14, 2022 . Panda Bear reveals details of collaborative album and shares new song, 'Go On' . NME . NME Networks . https://web.archive.org/web/20220715132907/https://www.nme.com/news/music/panda-bear-reveals-details-of-collaborative-album-and-shares-new-song-go-on-3269631 . July 15, 2022.
3. Web site: 2022 . Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Reset (Limited Edition Coloured Vinyl) . Domino Recording Company . https://web.archive.org/web/20220724194029/https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/panda-bear/reset/limited-edition-coloured-vinyl . July 24, 2022.
4. Web site: Felsenthal . Daniel . August 11, 2022 . Reset Panda Bear/Sonic Boom . December 2, 2022 . Pitchfork.
5. News: Blyweiss . Adam . August 13, 2023 . Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Reset in Dub . Treble . August 17, 2023.
6. News: Minsker . Evan . July 13, 2023 . Panda Bear and Sonic Boom Announce Dub Rework of Their Album Reset . . August 13, 2023.
7. Marlin . Natalie . Panda Bear and Sonic Boom's Reset Brings the Future to the Past . . August 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220811215213/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/panda-bear-sonic-boom/reset-album-review/ . August 11, 2022 . August 11, 2022 . live.
8. Web site: Goslen . Tyler . July 13, 2022 . Panda Bear and Sonic Boom release new single 'Go On' . Far Out . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714012727/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/panda-bear-and-sonic-boom-release-new-single-go-on/ . July 14, 2022.
9. Web site: Bloom . Madison . August 3, 2022 . Watch Panda Bear and Sonic Boom's Video for New Song 'Edge of the Edge' . Pitchfork . Condé Nast . https://web.archive.org/web/20220803145433/https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-panda-bear-and-sonic-boom-video-new-song-edge-of-the-edge/ . August 3, 2022.
10. Web site: 28 New Songs Out Today . . August 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220812202704/https://www.brooklynvegan.com/28-new-songs-out-today-42/ . August 12, 2022 . August 12, 2022 . live.