Reset

Reset is the first full-length collaborative album between Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) and Peter Kember (Sonic Boom), following years of Kember providing mixing and production for Lennox's solo efforts. The project's genesis lies in Kember's fascination with the instrumental introductions of 1950s and 60s pop standards by artists like The Everly Brothers and Eddie Cochran. By looping these 'preambles' and treating them as primary rhythmic and melodic beds, the duo created a bridge between the Brill Building era and modern experimental sampling. Recorded primarily in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic, the album represents a tonal shift for both artists toward a more overtly joyful and 'corrective' sound. Critics noted the album's departure from the denser, more claustrophobic textures of Panda Bear's previous work, such as Buoys, in favor of a lush, sun-bleached aesthetic that Pitchfork described as the most 'pleasurable' release of their careers. The record is a landmark in modern psychedelic pop, proving that sampling can be used not just for subversion, but for emotional restoration.