Despite graduating from the Kevin Parker school of psych, Pond have always carried more of a fun-loving style compared to their childhood friend. The goalposts have shifted, however, with The Weather. Again produced by the Tame Impala frontman at his home studio, the Perth natives’ new record is a lot more ambitious and narrative-driven compared to previous efforts, with a slight sacrifice for hooks and melody giving way to a multitude of grand soundscapes that take a few listen to get your ears around.

According to singer/guitarist Nicholas Allbrook, the LP is a partial concept album about their hometown, with a focus on all the weird contradictory things that make up a lot of colonial cities around the world as well as the dark things underneath the shimmering exterior of cranes, development, money and white privilege.

“It’s not our place, but it is our place. British, but Australian, but not REAL Australian. On the edge of the world with a hell of a lot of fucked things defining our little city, still we try and live a wholesome, respectful life, while being inherently disrespectful. At the end of all this confusion in our weird little white antipodean world, there’s the beach, purity and nature that brings us all together.” Things have changed a lot since the likes of ‘Zond’ and ‘Xanman’ it seems.

This new sincerity to Pond doesn’t stop there, with the first song to be heard from the album getting a rushed released because of the political situation in the US. Opener ‘30,000 Megatons’ is a slow technicolor of synths that morph into an epic crescendo – a lot like the current governmental landscape in the States: “This song was going to be released with the rest of the album, but today it seems like the right time,” said the band upon its release.

As far as the back catalogue goes, Man, It Feels Like Space Again leaned heavier on synths and dance rhythms, whilst Beard, Wives, Denim put a revisionist spin on guitar-driven psychedelia. The Weather takes influences from both of these but is nowhere near as good as their two best records. That’s not to say it’s bad, it just feels as though more attention has been placed on the overall concept and production and less time on the catchy prog-pop hooks which made the band so great in the first place.

‘Sweep Me Off My Feet’ is one of the record’s finer tracks though, and a quintessential Pond song with its proggy guitar solo and euphoric chorus. ‘Colder Than Ice’s 80s-esque synth odyssey has potential but never really gets going. The same could be said for ‘The Weather’ and ‘Zen Automation’. ‘End of the World Parts 1 and 2’, meanwhile, have their notable parts and could transfer well into a live environment.

Recent single ‘Paint Me Silver’ is undoubtedly the most instantaneous track on the record, with a delicious Passion Pit-esque synth line and sporadic cowbell manifesting into a terrific pop composition. Meanwhile, ‘All I Want for Xmas’ has darker inclinations and a final percussion-led section that wouldn’t be out of place on a hip-hop track, whilst the bipolar nature of ‘A/B’ is another sonic exploration for the band with the first half of fuzzy guitars sharing similarities with fan favourite ‘Moth Wings’ before it suddenly evolves into a slow-paced piano-led ballad.

So this feels like Pond’s coming of age. It may not be their best record but it’s easily their most coherent, thought-provoking album which glides along in a haze of keyboard arpeggios, reverb-soaked snares and echo-infused vocals. Jay Watson, Nicholas Allbrook and Joe Ryan have again proven that they deserve to be dining at the top table of psychedelic music.
Paul Hill

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