Album Review: Pond - 'Terrestrials'
Australian psych rockers Pond are a prolific outfit that have returned with their 11th record – Terrestrials. “Now the future’s in the water / and I’m on my hands and knees,” first song ‘Skyworks’ opens, questioning the meaning of all these ones and zeros and stating that you need no hero and need no king. It’s a sprawling record that ices through the amps with a propelling, “goths at the pub” attitude as the chorus swirls around: beautiful, melancholic and capable of balancing so many different styles at once in a track that instantly sets the tone for the freewheeling, experimental record to ollow. This is Pond in their groove – capable of luring you in and keeping you there.
Much of ‘Terrestrials’ in particular ‘Through the Heather’, was conceived during the band’s European tour last year when drummer James Ireland was experimenting on Ableton. Its sprawling landscape and audacious tone is reflected in its lyrics, “you give / I take / heartbreak” the track purrs, and you can see the vibes oozing off the psych-pop that fit a van on tour, that has seen plenty of usage and yet still keeps on trucking – it’s a track obsessed with the minute of rock and roll touring, the day to day – drafted with meticulous structure of a clearly defined verse, choruses, bridges etc – that may throw some Pond fans of balance – but sonically, it’s from the same cut of cloth of the band responsible for ‘Stung!’, 2024 AOTY contender. The familiar catchy melody and evocative lyrics are present – ‘Through the Heather’ moves and glides – but this feels like a tonal shift, a move towards something that’s better experienced live – a fast paced, straight forward, set-list approach that sounds like they were playing in an Aussie pub and that suits them down to the ground.
Single ‘Two Hands’ ebbs and flows as the longest track on the record. It feels like a dancier Bowie track with 80s guitar; nice and tight the space rock element – but there’s also still some riffs thrown in there that capture the nasty tone that Pond is capable of delivering. The new wave influence is present all over this album; drifting at times into ‘Era Vulgaris’ territory by Queens of the Stone Age. One second we’re drifting into Queens territory, the next ‘80s Prince – there are bits of Genesis thrown in there for good measure. But it’s a sound that remains uniquely Pond’s – fresh, inventive and eye-catching. It’s defined – that’s the watchword – purpose and energy; backed with an encouragement that Nicholas Allbrook states “you’ve got every right to be very fucking angry.” This is Pond’s call to arms – their statement of anger and politically charged that holds nothing back – using the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters in Western Australia as a tipping point for a battle cry.
Album title track ‘Terrestrials’ taps into the contradiction at the heart of humanity with a strong, direct approach that holds nothing back. It’s a collaborative feel that suits the ethos of the band, it’s about the “weirdest of all the terrestrials,” Nicholas Allbrook states – praising Gum’s music writing – whilst talking about the contrast of connection and destruction that humanity is capable of in the same breath. Destruction is winning – and there’s an air of fatality to ‘Terrestrials’ – but also an analysis of possibly why humanity is inclined to find love and connection amidst the cruelty and still be capable of committing these violent acts. It’s the record for duality and a rich, retrospective and insightful undercurrent makes this a political record at heart beneath the psychedelic gaze.
This is bluntly stated on ‘Tourmaline’ – “violence bores me” – before the switch to a ‘Personal Hell’ of Pond’s own making and how everyone’s going through their own actions, examining them and looking at them over and over again asking if they did the right thing. It’s an album that sums up the unity and division of humanity – looking at unborn tomorrows and dead yesterdays – tapping into the current mood of the planet always being at nine minutes to midnight. But through this – to call ‘Terrestrials’ a bleak record would be a lie: it places its faith, its optimism – in both the people and the planet to figure their shit out and get it together.
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies
