Psychedelic Daydream Meets Dub: Buddies on the Blackboard
Today’s release of “Buddies on the Blackboard” marks a vibrant counterpoint to last month’s digital drop of “Love on the Big Screen” from Animal Collective. The track is a psychedelic daydream set to a dub beat, a woozy, immersive soundscape that settles into a warm bass groove.
This tantalizing B-side heads up the limited-edition Love on the Big Screen / Buddies on the Blackboard 7″, arriving on August 1, 2025, via Domino.
Behind the Boards: Avey Tare + Adam McDaniel
The pair collaborated on both tracks. Avey Tare co-produced alongside Adam McDaniel, founder of Drop of Sun Studios. McDaniel also handled engineering and mixing at his Asheville-based studio, while Dave Cooley managed the mastering.
RELATED: Panda Bear’s 10 Most Hypnotic Songs You Need to Hear
Contextual Flow: From Isn’t It Now? to Sinister Grift
Animal Collective‘s last full-length, Isn’t It Now?, landed in September 2023, recorded in person rather than pieced together remotely like its predecessor Time Skiffs. Meanwhile, Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, unveiled his solo project Sinister Grift in March 2025.
The band’s creative timeline feels like an ever-flowing river of creation, as Panda Bear once described, where solo outings feed back into collective work and vice versa.
Wordplay in Rhythm:
Blackboard Riddims
On Buddies on the Blackboard, the dub influence burbles under a psychedelic haze, inviting repeated listens.
Screen Dreams
Its flip side, Love on the Big Screen, oozes lush psych-pop sensibilities, likely mirrored by the kaleidoscopic visualizer that accompanies it.
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Artist Backstory
Formed in Baltimore County in the late ’90s, Animal Collective comprises Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). Their signature sound merges psychedelic pop, loops, drones, and collage-like textures, an ever-evolving aesthetic rooted in childhood collaborations, cassette swapping, and improvisation.
Geologist provides the band with atmospheric electronics and sampling. His alias stems from a misheard major and the headlamp he wears during live shows.
