As it has for most of us, it was a quiet couple of years for Pond up until 2021. Now though – much like the rest of the world – they have come back more than ready to get up and running again, and with an all-new psychedelic disposition.
The recently released extended deluxe version of Pond’s new album 9 showcases a band who have been in the game for a long-time, but a band full to the brim with a retained youthful exuberance. When you’re nine albums into your career, reinvention is vital, and with this latest offering Pond have certainly taken their deepest dive yet into uncharted territory.
From the opening of the first track, ‘Song for Agnes,’ you’re hit with a short, modulative orchestral introduction, before launching into a funkadelic-style beat that is both strong and sporadic in perfect unison. There is a definite Tame Impala feel to the album – unsurprising considering they share their hometown with the Perth supergroup, not to mention that Kevin Parker and Cameron Avery are also ex-Pond members. Don’t get too bogged down in that though, this band have got their own party going on.
Electronic experimentation that spans from the sensitive to the stratosphere, 9 is a creative melting pot of fused genres. Frontman Nick Albrook crafts lyrics that are catchy, creative and, on occasion, deep cut –when he sings ‘nothing but blue skies from now on, baby’ you can almost see it.
Not shy of straying from the beaten path, Pond have definitely got a little bit weird with this album. There are elements we’ve never heard from the band before coming into play, and they’ve managed to strike that beautiful indie electronic space where bands such as MGMT used to reside but with their own modern twist.
True to its experimental form, 9 surprises you just when you think you’ve got it figured out. ‘Gold Cup / Plastic Sole’ is a James Bond theme tune from the electronic multi-verse, wailing to a crescendo with Pink Floyd style fuzzed up guitar riffs. From psychedelic rock style guitar that flirts with the anti-solo at times, all the way to the album’s flagship in ‘Lights of Leeming,’ which paints the picture of a mid-1980s workout track, in sun-drenched LA – cruising in a caddy on a Saturday afternoon – the experimentation on this album sees Pond to dip their toe into multiple genres without really committing to any.
An honest and creative offering in every sense – lyrically and musically – 9 is Pond’s deep cut that dives a little deeper than the rest.
Author: Will Underwood
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Tags: 9 / album review / pond