Pond – Stung! Review

A blurred bee and some delightful-looking skies are enough to feel the movement Pond has formed with their latest album. If we are to be stung as the neo-psychedelic outfit from Australia warns us, then so be it. But prick us with fine quality. They promised as much with Neon River, one of the singles utilised in the lead-up to the release of Stung!. We are almost a decade removed from Man It Feels Like Space Again, a monumental effort from the group and a high they do not plan on recapturing. Not because they cannot but because their sonic essentials have changed. The fundamentals are shifted, turned over and made into a fresh and inventive new wave for the band. Pond has evolved, why not us? 

Lush and warm is the aim of opening effort Constant Picnic. A sound which feels its way through melodic tones in summery situations, a soft vocal performance and a heartbeat running through like muffled percussion. Pond is still at their very best when mixing through a unique tone and sound. They use it well here as they tell the same old story. But speaking and receiving the details is a difficult next step, as Stung! showcases so brutally. There is a charm to its standard rock stylings, the slow guitar riffs picking up the pace. Pond remains a delightful band. A true and thrilling experience comes through their work and the mellow turn takes a nice, new tone for the outfit to explore. Funk grooves to So Lo mark a chance to explore the high bar we set for ourselves, and why our expectations should be lower. 

Because they should be and by doing so, we let more into our lives. More clutter and slop for the dwindling brain power used up to listen and learn. Very solid stuff all around, and surprisingly prog in places. Light flourishes on Edge of the World Pt. 3 is the sort of noise and clatter David Gilmour would make. Either that or the vice-like grip Pink Floyd has on the early morning brain fatigue is too strong to break from. Pond establishes themselves well away from the usual suspects of the genre with Edge of the World Pt. 3, a song which indirectly lifts the mass paranoia and terror of the War of the Worlds radio broadcast and how the announcements of the media are to be believed. An eight-minute masterclass. 

Feel the crunch of great guitar work towards the end of Stung!. Pond cannot keep themselves away from the good stuff and we are all the better for it. Slower beats and melodies are trialled on the opener and penultimate track Elephant Gun. Ultimately there is symmetry and warmth to this latest effort from the band. Their consistency and competence are their strongest tools. It allows for breaches of risk. What could be fatal moves are now opportune moments of growing as a band. As long-running as they have been it is time to take steps towards new noise. Stung! is just that. Courageous in spots and a certain, strong piece of work which captures the band in a good spot. Long may it continue.