Pulse of the Early Brain

Pulse of the Early Brain
A drawing of a monitor with lines and dashes seen on the screen. A laser beam points at it. The artist and album title are displayed at the bottom left
Compilation album by
Stereolab
Released2 September 2022 (2022-09-02)
Recorded1992–2008
Length118:54
Label
Stereolab chronology
Electrically Possessed
(2021) 		Pulse of the Early Brain
(2022)
Singles from Pulse of the Early Brain
  1. "Robot Riot"
    Released: 24 June 2022
  2. "Simple Headphone Mind/Trippin' With the Birds"
    Released: 3 August 2022
  3. "Cybele's Reverie (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)"
    Released: 24 August 2022

Pulse of the Early Brain is a compilation album by the English-French avant-pop band Stereolab, released on 2 September 2022 under Duophonic Records and Warp Records. It is the fifth installment of the band's "Switched-On" series which collects the band's rarities, such as the EPs Simple Headphone Mind (1997) and Low Fi (1992); bonus and exclusive tracks from Chemical Chords (2008); and individual tracks from other albums, split singles and flexi discs. Unlike previous "Switched-On" releases, which compiled each of the band's eras in chronological order, Pulse of the Early Brain covers rarities from all over their career.

The compilation was announced with the release of the single "Robot Riot" in June 2022 and the singles "Simple Headphone Mind" and "Trippin With the Birds" in August. Pulse of the Early Brain received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised the inclusion of Simple Headphone Mind and Low Fi, but some also consider it to be the most and least essential release in Stereolab's catalogue. It ranked at number 3 in the UK Independent Albums Chart and at number 66 in the UK Albums Chart.