The Avalanches return with No Bad Memories, their fourth studio album and first in six years, transforming the forgotten sounds of advertising, outdated technology, and popular culture into a wildly imaginative collection of music. Across 31 tracks, the Australian electronic pioneers draw inspiration from everything from vintage commercial jingles and computer startup sounds to video game effects and familiar audio logos, exploring the curious ways these everyday sounds become permanently attached to our memories.

Ever since their groundbreaking 2000 debut, Since I Left You, the Avalanches have built their reputation on turning seemingly unrelated samples into remarkably cohesive musical experiences. Following 2016's Wildflower and 2020's We Will Always Love You, founding members Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi, now joined by Andy Szekeres, take their unmistakable approach in another fascinating direction. This time, they're examining how decades of advertising and technology have influenced the way we remember our lives, often without us even realizing it.

The album features an extraordinary assortment of collaborators spanning generations and genres. Karen O lends her voice to "Blue Shadows," Jamie xx joins them on "Every Single Weekend," and Weezer's Rivers Cuomo appears alongside Vegyn and Baby Marlboro on "All the Time in the World." Other contributors include Panda Bear, Mike Patton, Carly Simon, Barry Can't Swim, John Glacier, Portraits of Tracy, and Japanese electronic music pioneer Haruomi Hosono. Electronic composer Suzanne Ciani, famous for creating Coca-Cola's iconic pouring sound effect, makes an especially appropriate appearance on "Our Love Is Alive."

Among the album's highlights are "Together," featuring Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza, and Prentiss, and the emotionally charged "Can't Get Over Losing You," featuring Portraits of Tracy. Throughout the record, snippets of forgotten commercials, mechanical noises, and electronic effects weave their way between melodies and rhythms, creating unexpected connections between the familiar and the completely unfamiliar.

The concept extends beyond the music itself. Working with visual artist Jonathan Zawada, the Avalanches have created an elaborate fictional advertising universe, complete with imaginary products and a digital archiving company called Takumi. Actor Haley Joel Osment stars in an accompanying short film and appears on the album alongside Mike Patton in a mock television commercial for a fictional video game system.

With No Bad Memories, the Avalanches invite listeners to consider why a forgotten jingle or the sound of an old computer can instantly transport us to another time and place. It's a playful, occasionally surreal exploration of memory, consumer culture, and the surprising emotional connections we form with the sounds that surround us.