Strawberry Alarm Clock (SAC) released the highly anticipated album Where’s One?, their first studio record since 2012, in August. With a legacy spanning over 60 years, the seminal psychedelic rock group—best known for their 1967 No. 1 hit “Incense and Peppermints”—continues to captivate. SAC fans and critics alike have responded enthusiastically to the four singles released so far: “Monsters,” “Blow Your Mind,” “Live Water,” and “The Sky Isn’t Falling.” Not entirely a revisitation of nostalgia, the new Where’s One? covers a vast spread of musical ground while retaining the signature lush vocal harmonies, intricate guitar solos, dual drummers, and enough Farfisa Organ to remind you that this is a SAC record. From the intricate prog rock sound of “White Light” to the theatrical “Monsters” to the humorous “Tahitian Gardens” and the soulful and yearning folk-tinged rock ballad about the loss of Anderson’s mother, “Since You’ve Gone Away,” SAC traverses styles effortlessly as lead vocals are interchanged with four singers, often within the same song. There is a sense of musical experience, maturity, and virtuosity that is the culmination of the years following the innocence of the “Incense and Peppermints” days.
The six-member band features five original members from their initial run of four albums from 1967-1969, which is a stunning and rare achievement on its own these days. Where’s One? features Mark Stephen Weitz (keyboards), Randy Seol (drums/percussion), George Bunnell (bass), Gene Gunnels (drums/percussion), Steve Bartek (guitar, flute, sitar, and production—also well-known as a founding member of Oingo Boingo), plus “the new guy” guitarist Howie Anderson, who’s been a full member since their 1986 reunion.
Decades of musical chemistry and versatility are a key part of what keeps the band so compelling to fans of all ages. SAC has an annual homecoming at The Sunset Strip’s The Whisky, and this writer was fortunate enough to have seen the last three years of shows there, including where SAC was the headliner for the weeklong celebration of The Whisky’s 60th anniversary. Always a packed house, it is not unusual seeing 20-year-olds dressed in ‘60s gear with GoGo boots singing and knowing all the words at their shows.
What makes Where’s One? more than just a trip down memory lane is a sense of heart, humor, virtuosity, and experimentation that concludes with a sense of having gone on a journey. The ‘60s spirit is here and you can hear it in the immaculate a capella harmony of the opening track “Feel The Love.” As the needle hits the second track, the captivatingly ominous “Monsters” (released as the album’s first preview single last Halloween) makes clear that SAC are here not to relive former glories but to push the psych-rock form ever forward with new ideas and fresh sounds. Track three features an odd time signature reimagining of The Beatles “Day Tripper” that lets the listener know to expect the unexpected. This holds true as well on a delightfully skewed performance of “Within You Without You.” By the fourth track, “White Light,” a musically and emotionally raw journey that blends psychedelia and dream rock with intense, prog influenced rhythms, and harmonies, the restless creativity of SAC in 2026 is abundantly evident, summed up in the opening lyrics: “Where am I going? What will I do when I get there?”
Following is Weitz’s jaunty “Blow Your Mind,” which is making waves on the global indie airwaves and touches on musical idioms that followed and drew upon SAC’s original work. You’ll hear gorgeous chamber strings arranged by in-demand orchestrator Bartek on “Since You Have Gone Away,” as well as angular guitars recalling the postpunk and new wave years, and bright harmonies that evoke the best of ‘70s AM Gold on “The Sky Isn’t Falling.” There are intricate prog rock-adjacent time signatures “I’m Not The One,” “White Light,” Beefheart/Zappa-inflected art rock “Primordial Soup,” and grooves worthy of ‘70s funk and ‘90s trip hop “Live Water” and “Monsters.” There’s a sly take on exotica in “Tahitian Gardens” before SAC close the album, saving the trippiest for last with “Galactic Symphony – Persian Skies,” a psychedelic romp written by the full band and featuring a spoken-word performance by Stephen J. Kalinich, the legendary poet laureate of Beach Boys fame and the ‘60s L.A. pop scene.
It’s all breathtakingly fresh for a band 60 years into their career, playful and experimental but loaded with consummate tunefulness. What binds it together is the time-tested chemistry of the players, and a connection greater than the sum of its considerable parts, as George Bunnell, official SAC historian explains: “Where’s One? was not intended as a concept album but as it turns out, I guess it is. I think it’s about family, life, and love. Howie wrote ‘Since You Have Gone Away’ about his mom coming to him in a dream, and ‘I’m Not The One’ about his kids leaving the nest. Randy wrote the lyrics to ‘White Light’ about his late father appearing to him in his car while driving, and ‘Live Water’ about the good fortune of meeting his wife, Beverly. Mark wrote ‘Blow Your Mind’ about his girlfriend. David Glück wrote the lyrics to ‘Monsters’ about his ex who is still his best friend, and ‘Primordial Soup,’ refers to bridging the gap between inorganic matter and biological life, human, plant, animal, and otherwise. The album tells our long story about lifelong relationships and life in general.”
The title “Where’s One?” was brought to the band by Mark Weitz and refers to the old musician joke of finding the downbeat, where is beat one of a musical bar after a series of time signature changes. As for the title, Bunnell continues, “After all this time, you’d think the clock would know. That’s the great thing about music; you’re always searching for that elusive something. I love it when someone brings in an idea and we start exploring and expanding on it. We all have one thing in common, and that’s to find what a song idea can turn into. It keeps us going. We’ve found that if we are open minded, a good song will open itself up to us. This is the album we wanted to make. We’ve poured our hearts into it. As our own Steve Bartek (co-producing with this writer) kept reminding us, we’re not looking for perfection... we just want a great-sounding album, but not at the risk of losing its heart and soul and sense of humor. I think we’ve accomplished that.”
Bartek agrees: “This album is a testament to the power of long-lasting creative relationships, despite interruptions of time and distance. We are always searching to connect to each other as we play... and land together on ‘one,’ occasionally.”
Where’s One? is the first full album of new music from psychedelic rock pioneers Strawberry Alarm Clock since 1969. Where’s One? returns the band to the pinnacle of the genre they helped to invent, with a lineup unmatched for its authenticity and decades of performing and songwriting chemistry on display. Where’s One? was released and distributed by Big Stir Records, Burbank, CA and hit record stores in a Deluxe Double LP edition, CD, as well as streaming on all digital platforms worldwide, on August 7.
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Strawberry Alarm Clock celebrated the record release with a concert at The Tiki Oasis in San Diego on August 9. Look for more appearances and keep up with SAC at strawberryalarmclock.com
