A ? of WHEN

Panda Bear is a team player. He's been a part of Animal Collective since its inception, lending his distinctive vocals to indie anthems like "My Girls" and "Summertime Clothes."He crossed over into the mainstream via Daft Punk's hypnotic "Doin' It Right," on a journey that led to his first (and only) Gold-certified record to date. Essentially, the man born Noah Lennox is the secret ingredient that word got out about — and ever since, everyone's been eating good.For the last 15 years, PB has been steadily bonding with another prolific collaborator in Spaceman 3's Peter Kember, a.k.a. Sonic Boom. That partnership eventually blossomed into 2022's Reset: a kaleidoscopic, crystalline dismantling of vintage pop that served as a career highlight for both artists.To their credit, the duo haven't simply cloned the palette of Reset for their second album together. Instead, A ? of WHEN further expands their already-diverse sonic spectrum, keeping you entirely invested in this seemingly endless vat of creativity and left-of-centre ideas.If you've found yourself at the mercy of Panda Bear's dizzying in-the-round musical mantras in the past, you're likely to be satiated. "Like a Moth to a Flame" and "Never Givin' In" worm their way in on first listen, with Lennox's distinctive reverb-laden vocals melting into the sparse, drawn-out arrangements.The latter is given a stellar assist from harpist extraordinaire Mary Lattimore, whose delicate plucking is used as a spellbinding loop station that makes it even dreamier. Throw in some more curveballs — like Kember's Stones-like guitars and the police siren on the title track, or the pattering steel drums of "Lucky Charm" — and A ? of WHEN keeps you compelled through all of its peaks and valleys."I'm praying, I'm hoping / That something lasts," the duo harmonize toward the album's back end on the understated slow dance of "Somethin' That Lasts." Both together and apart, for decades on end, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom have created music that does just that. A ? of WHEN is another stellar addition to that canon, there's absolutely no question.