Pendulum talk past, present, and future in new documentary, “The New Era”

7 June, 2023

Pendulum was among the first electronic artists I listened to way back in high school. I started with “Blood Sugar” and “Painkiller” (which I later learned after saying goodbye to Limewire wasn’t even their original, they were just a feature) and then of course discovering their 2005 Essential Mix, Hold Your Colour, In Silico, and eventually seeing their final headline show in Los Angeles at The Wiltern in 2011.

The group was a starting point and a pillar of my electronic upbringing and I was even fortunate enough to have drummer KJ Sawka as a roommate for a few years and get a firsthand look at the studio set up and learn more about the history of the group. All this to say that Pendulum is in my blood and I, and hundreds of thousands of others, have been waiting patiently for their official return.

They came back tentatively at Ultra Music Festival in 2017 as they headlined the festival with guest appearances from deadmau5 and Tom Morello, but you could say they didn’t truly return until their Elemental EP in 2021. By all metrics, they are officially back.

Following the release of their newest single “Halo,” with Bullet For My Valentine, last Friday, the group has released an official documentary chronicling the end of the first era of Pendulum, the rise of Knife Party, the return of Pendulum at Ultra, and what the future holds.

“Halo” could be the first sign of a new album from the group, or another EP. We don’t really know; famously the group, and frontman Rob Swire, are pretty tight-lipped about their future plans. But from the footage, it looks like the group, under new management and with renewed vigor, the group is in it for the long haul once again.