Last month, Sonic Boom (aka Peter Kember) announced his first album in 30 years, All Things Being Equal. The English producer previewed the record with lead single “Just Imagine”, and now he’s back with another teaser called “The Way That You Live”.
“The Way That You Live” sounds like the work of a veteran who’s never rested on his laurels. The song’s tight groove moves at a marching band’s pace while thick synths ripple and tear through the mix. With a light dusting of vocal effects, Kember croons the hooky refrain over and over like a mantra: “Make it about, the way that you live/ Make it about, the love that you give”.
Those lyrics are just a taste of the album’s overarching theme: humanity’s role in the “critical collapse” of our planet. It’s a sobering concept in and of itself, and twofold in the midst of a global pandemic. But Kember’s message is ultimately one of hope and inspiration, a feeling he derived from his recent relocation to the “enchanting” town of Sintra, Portugal.
There are no glimpses at Sintra’s natural surroundings in the video for “The Way That You Live”, but it does capture the sensibilities of Sonic Boom’s music: colorful, playful, and psychedelic. Watch below.
Kember isn’t just posturing with the album’s narrative. $1 of every copy sold will be donated to the environmental advocacy organization Earth Island.
All Things Being Equal officially arrives June 5th via Carpark Records. It’s the long-awaited follow-up to Sonic Boom’s 1990 record, Spectrum. That full-length hit shelves shortly after the disbandment of Spacemen 3, Kember’s project with Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce.
Sonic Boom Reveals New Song “The Way That You Live”: Stream
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