Edward Russell
Psych rockers Pond have kept the wait for new full-length release relatively short following their acclaimed 2017 album, The Weather. The Perth band have announced their eighth studio album, Tasmania, which is, once again, co-produced by Kevin Parker, and is out on Friday 1 March. Coinciding with this announcement was the release of ‘Daisy’, the third single from the album, as well as its opening track.
‘Daisy’ opens in a style akin to the Flaming Lips, with despondent strings and breathy vocals from frontman Nick Allbrook being joined later by a simple, washed out drum beat. It doesn’t take long for the song to launch into an irresistible bass-led groove, topped with a killer hook that Allbrook sells undeniably well. The dreary reprise of the introduction that closes the track does start to wear thin at a point, but there are plenty of blissful moments to be heard in the last two minutes.
The single was accompanied by a similarly feel-good video, directed by Jesse Taylor Smith and filmed on Kulin and Nyoongar Nations land in Victoria. The clip features Nick and fellow bandmates Jay Watson and Joseph “Shiny Joe” Ryan in various settings typical of an Australian summer, highlighting the nostalgia and youthful spirit embedded in the lyrics, while also staying true to the band’s wacky ethos with the odd splash of vibrant colour.
Tasmania is co-produced by Kevin Parker (as one could expect by now) and will seemingly be thematically related, at least in part, to The Weather. Described as a “dejected meditation on planetary discord, water, machismo, shame, blame and responsibility, love, blood and empire”, the album calls for us to enjoy the splendour of the natural world while we’re still able to. Their 2017 album will be a tough act to follow, given the rave reviews it received from the likes of The Guardian, Pitchfork and MOJO, but it’s unlikely that the band won’t be able to deliver another fun-as-hell album.
Pre-order the album here.
