Pond break down adventurous new album ‘Stung!’: “There’s no point churning things out”
When Pond began their journey over 15 years ago, their lives were unrecognisable from today. A more carefree world fell out in front of them, and their immovable commitments were almost non-existent. The early incarnation of the Perth collective would release multiple albums in a calendar year and treat their art as a throwaway commodity, firing out records like an indiscriminate gunman but that approach is a distant memory.
Their newly-announced tenth album, Stung!, set for release on June 21st, marks their first full-length offering in three years and is a welcome comeback for Pond, who let their music breathe on the expansively daring project.
While in their younger years, they’d be less considered in the studio, Pond’s approach to their craft has naturally evolved and they reap the rewards on Stung! The sprawling record boasts a running time long enough to warrant being a double album in old money. With over an hour to play with on the LP, Pond scratch their divine itch to explore psychedelia, progressive rock and everything in between under an immersive sonic umbrella.
The group, comprised of Nick Allbrook, Jay ‘Gum’ Watson, Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry and James ‘Gin’ Ireland, are all spinning many different plates outside of Pond, which makes finding time to go to the studio difficult. Whether it’s family commitments, other musical projects or work, the five members had to use their time wisely to get the wheels spinning on Stung! and for 12 months, they would meet up to exchange musical ideas once a week at Watson’s studio.
Speaking over Zoom from his home in Perth, Allbrook explained how the first building blocks were placed for their tenth album, “Between work and children and stuff like that, we managed to find this nice little window on Wednesdays, but I think a week between sessions is long enough to forget where you’re heading with the album.”
Due to the infrequency of the sessions and lack of tangible momentum, this period needed to go somewhat rudderless. Fortunately, a friend rescued them from the doldrums and offered the group the opportunity to use his new studio in the picturesque Dunsborough on Australia’s southwestern coast, and thankfully, those prior sessions were put to good use.
As they’d collated a “bunch” of the material that was used on the album at Watson’s studio already, Allbrook says the studio time in Dunsborough was mainly to “all be in the same place at the same time” and “get it in focus”. The songwriting was never an issue, but turning their vast array of eclectic material into a cohesive body of work was the challenge that met Pond.
For Watson, who is also speaking over Zoom but from the comfort of his car, having a base “for a couple of weeks without distraction” was a blessing that allowed the band to add touches of magic to elevate their work.
“Some of the best bits of the album, like outros or bridges, would be come up with on the spot when we did this two weeks because everyone gets really enthusiastic when they are together, and I think you can hear that on this album,” he proudly states.
In their more junior days, they’d have likely found a way to cobble their material together without their Dunsborough getaway. However, Watson now thinks “there’s no point churning things out” like they previously did and wants to ensure they did this set of songs ample justice, whether through music videos or touring them worldwide.
During the production process, the group would collectively listen to records, with Allbrook naming Scott Walker and Talk Talk as influences during this period. Meanwhile, ‘O, UV Ray’ from Stung! is shaped by ‘Beetlebum’ by Blur despite Allbrook having not “listened to that song in fucking ages”, but after Watson “mentioned it offhand” in the studio, it provided an unlikely reference point that helped guide the song over the finish line.
‘Edge of the World Pt.3’, the successor to two tracks from 2017’s The Weather, acts as the centrepiece of Stung! The eight-minute masterpiece is a sonic exploration of the highest order, and Pond received a helping hand from one of their heroes, who Watson says provided a “sacred guitar part” on the track.
Watson elaborates: “The solo at the end is the guitarist, Reine Fiske, from Dungen, who was our idol. We know him well enough now, and we’re confident enough in our music just to ask him to play on it, and it’s epic; it’s so good.”
While Allbrook deals with the loss of love across Stung!, the album also celebrates humanity, marking a tonal shift for Pond, who have previously used their art to decry the acts of civilisation. “A lot of the vibe of the lyrics of the album is that you’ve got every reason to hate and fear the world, but you’ve just got to keep on loving it and loving people,” the frontman explains.
If a band is fortunate enough to reach their tenth album, there’s a strong chance that a certain staleness can set in. But Pond are an exception to the rule. While they may have slowed their output level quantitively, the same doesn’t apply qualitatively. Watson is beaming with pride as he says of their creation, “We really love it, and we’re really proud of it.”
With a world tour planned for later this year, Pond intends to ensure the endless string of Wednesdays spent at Watson’s studio, putting the hard yards into creating Stung! get the justice they deserve. The Perth group’s tenth record is their most adventurous effort to date, taking listeners on an hour-long mind-bending trip, and Pond are rightly bursting with pride.
Stung! is set for release on June 21st via Spinning Top Records.
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