Pond | |
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![]() Pond performing at Primavera Sound in 2019. Left to right: Jay Watson, Nick Allbrook, Jamie Terry | |
Background information | |
Origin | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
Genres | |
Years active | 2008–present |
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Spinoffs |
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Spinoff of |
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Members |
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Past members |
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Website | pond |
Pond is an Australian psychedelic rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in 2008. Initially featuring a revolving line-up, since 2016 the band has consisted of Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, Shiny Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry, and James Ireland.
Pond is often heavily associated with fellow Perth-based psychedelic rock/pop band Tame Impala, as members of both groups are longtime close friends and collaborators. Watson is currently a full-time member of both acts. Lead singer Allbrook contributed to both bands from 2009 to 2013 before leaving Tame Impala to focus on Pond and his own solo career. Multi-instrumentalists Ryan and Ireland serve as crew members for Tame Impala's live act. In addition, current Tame Impala members Kevin Parker, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo are all former members of Pond. Parker continued to work with the band as its record producer until 2020, and Avery collaborated with Allbrook as the duo Allbrook/Avery. Watson and Ireland sometimes collaborate under the name GUM & Ginoli, remixing songs originally recorded by other artists.
As of August 2024, Pond has released ten studio albums and one live album.
Pond was formed in Perth, Western Australia, in 2008 [1] with members Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson and Joe Ryan. The original idea of Pond was to be able to get anyone they wanted to play whatever they wanted in a collaborative musical project.
Their first album was released soon after in January 2009, titled Psychedelic Mango which contained many psychedelic rock and pop elements. [2] [1] Their second album, Corridors of Blissterday , was completed live with an eight-piece band in five days, and released in June 2009. [3] This led to the creation of their 2010 album, Frond , released in May 2010, featuring a heavier pop influence than previously heard from them. [4]
After the breakthrough success of Innerspeaker , the debut album by Tame Impala, a band which shares three members with Pond, the album Beard, Wives, Denim was recorded in 2010 and later released to critical acclaim in March 2012. [5] [6]
Pond toured the United States in 2012, appearing at festivals such as South by Southwest, with another album titled Hobo Rocket set for release in the future. On 26 May 2012, NME magazine named Pond "The Hottest New Band In The World" in their "Hot List" issue. [7] [8] On 28 June 2012, Pond had a one-off performance with Can frontman Damo Suzuki, one of Pond's biggest inspirations and musical idols. [9] [10]
Originally, Man It Feels Like Space Again was planned to be the next Pond album, but instead Hobo Rocket was chosen to be recorded beforehand and was released on 6 August 2013. [11] Pond described Hobo Rocket as being "much better" than Beard, Wives, Denim. Man It Feels Like Space Again, their sixth studio album, was later released on 23 January 2015. [12]
Pond announced their seventh album The Weather , released on 7 May 2017 via Marathon Artists. The announcement came with the release of two singles, "30000 Megatons" and "Sweep Me Off My Feet". The title and chorus of the first song refer to the 30,000 nuclear warheads in the arsenal of the Earth. [13] As with their previous album, The Weather was produced by Kevin Parker at his studio in Perth. [14] The album was preceded by the release of two more singles, "The Weather" and "Paint Me Silver". The album was released to critical acclaim, with many publications praising it as an evolution and maturation of the band's sound and songwriting.
A little over a year after the release of The Weather, on 23 July 2018, Pond released the single "Burnt Out Star" and announced tour dates. [15] The band then released the single "Sixteen Days" on 5 October along with an accompanying music video. The single "Daisy" was released on 10 January 2019 with a music video that was filmed on land for which the Kulin and Nyoongar Nations were the traditional custodians, with the band paying respect to them in the opening card. Along with the release of this single, the band announced through social media their eighth studio album, Tasmania , which was released through Interscope Records on 1 March 2019 to similar acclaim as The Weather. [16] [17]
Days after the release of Tasmania, the band toured locally, with performances in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. It would be their first local tour since 2017. [18] Later that year they would go on to tour Europe and the UK. [19]
On 9 September 2019, the band announced a live album, Sessions, which was released on 8 November 2019. To promote it they released the single "Don't Look at the Sun (Or You'll Go Blind)", an updated live version of a song featured on their debut album Psychedelic Mango .
During a live performance in Perth, Australia on 8 November 2020, the band unveiled a song titled "America's Cup" and hinted that their ninth studio album was set to be released in June 2021. On 31 March 2021, the band released a single called "Pink Lunettes", which was accompanied by a music video directed by band member Jamie Terry. On 17 May 2021, the band revealed that their ninth studio album, 9 , would be released on 1 October 2021, along with a single, "America's Cup". [20] On 30 June 2021, the album's third single, "Toast", was released alongside a video that was co-directed by the band. On 1 September 2021, the album's fourth single, "Human Touch", was released and accompanied by a video co-directed by Duncan Wright and lead singer Nick Allbrook. On 17 November 2021, the band released a video for the album track, "Take Me Avalon I'm Young", filmed in Hastings, UK, and directed by Bunny Kinney. On 2 March 2022, the band revealed that a deluxe edition of 9 was in the works, titled 9 DLX Edition, and was to include four additional tracks cut from the album's initial release. Alongside the announcement they unveiled a video for its lead single, “Lights of Leeming”, directed by the band. On 4 May 2022, they released a video for its second single, “Hang a Cross On Me”, featuring vocals by Cowboy John, who had previously appeared on the title track of Hobo Rocket; the video was directed by Alex Haygarth and Nick Allbrook. 9 DLX Edition was released on 20 May 2022.
On 31 January 2024, Pond released a new single, "Neon River", accompanied by a music video. In February and March, they toured across Australia and New Zealand as one of the opening acts for Queens of the Stone Age. On 27 March 2024, the band announced that their tenth studio album, Stung! , would be released on 21 June 2024. Accompanying the album's unveiling was its second single, "(I'm) Stung", along with a music video and news of a tour of Australia later that year. On 21 May 2024, it was announced that the third single from Stung!, titled "So Lo", would be released on 28 May 2024.
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
AUS [22] | UK | ||
Psychedelic Mango |
| — | — |
Corridors of Blissterday |
| — | — |
Frond |
| — | — |
Beard, Wives, Denim | 64 | — | |
Hobo Rocket |
| 37 | 146 |
Man It Feels Like Space Again |
| 15 | 92 |
The Weather |
| 33 | — |
Tasmania |
| 15 | — |
9 |
| 6 | — |
Stung! |
| 49 | — |
Title | Album details |
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Sessions |
|
Title | Album details |
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Live at the BBC |
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Title | Year | Album |
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"Cloud City" | 2010 | Frond |
"Annie Orangetree" | ||
"Greens Pool" | Non-album single | |
"Fantastic Explosion of Time" | 2012 | Beard, Wives, Denim |
"Moth Wings" | ||
"You Broke My Cool" | ||
"Giant Tortoise" | 2013 | Hobo Rocket |
"Xanman" | ||
"O Dharma" | ||
"Elvis' Flaming Star" | 2014 | Man It Feels Like Space Again |
"Sitting Up on Our Crane" | ||
"Zond" | 2015 | |
"Man, It Feels Like Space Again" | ||
"Sweep Me off My Feet" | 2016 | The Weather |
"30000 Megatons" | ||
"The Weather" | 2017 | |
"Paint Me Silver" | ||
"Burnt Out Star" [25] | 2018 | Tasmania |
"Sixteen Days" [26] | ||
"Daisy" | 2019 | |
"Pink Lunettes" [20] [27] | 2021 | 9 |
"America's Cup" [20] | ||
"Toast" [28] | ||
"Human Touch" [29] | ||
"Lights of Leeming" [30] | 2022 | 9 (Deluxe) |
"Hang a Cross on Me" (featuring Cowboy John) [31] | ||
"Neon River" | 2024 | Stung! |
"(I'm) Stung" | ||
"So Lo" | ||
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2020 [32] [33] | Tasmania | Best Independent Rock Album or EP | Nominated |
The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2016 | "Zond" | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [34] |
The EG Awards (known as Music Victoria Awards since 2013) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2012 [35] [36] | Beard, Wives, Denim | Best Album | Nominated |
Pond | Best Band | Nominated |
The West Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMIs) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). Pond has won two awards. [37] [38]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Pond | Most Popular Act | Won |
Most Popular Live Act | Won |
"Let It Happen" is a song by the Australian rock artist Tame Impala. It was released as the lead single from their third studio album, Currents (2015), on 10 March 2015. The song centers on accepting personal transition, and was worked on in various locations around the world. The song runs at nearly eight minutes long, and its second half contains a section of the song repeating akin to a scratched Compact Disc, and stripped-down lyrics consisting of gibberish. It also has vocoded-like vocals in the second half, which were actually manipulated with a keyboard sampler.
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo. The group has a close affiliation with fellow Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, sharing members and collaborators, including Nick Allbrook, formerly a live member of Tame Impala. Originally signed to Modular Recordings, Tame Impala is now signed to Interscope Records in the United States and Fiction Records in the United Kingdom.
Innerspeaker is the debut studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 21 May 2010 by Modular Recordings. The album was recorded and produced by musician Kevin Parker at a remote beach shack in Western Australia during the summer of 2009, who also wrote every track on it except for the interlude after "The Bold Arrow of Time".
Lonerism is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker, with live member Jay Watson contributing on two tracks. Recorded mostly in Perth, Australia, and Paris, France, Lonerism builds on the psychedelic sound of its predecessor and features fewer guitars and more synthesisers and samples. Parker attempted to incorporate his love for pop music into his songwriting for the record through catchier melodies. Many tracks feature ambient sounds recorded by Parker with a dictaphone. The album's theme of isolation is reflected in the album cover, featuring an image of a fenced-off Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris.
Kevin Richard Parker is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and DJ, best known for his musical project Tame Impala, for which he writes, performs, records, and produces the music. Parker has released four Tame Impala albums: Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism (2012), Currents (2015), and The Slow Rush (2020). He has won 13 ARIA Music Awards, two APRA Awards, and a Brit Award, and has received four Grammy Award nominations.
"Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?" is a song by the Australian band Tame Impala, released as a single in 2011. It was recorded during the sessions for the Innerspeaker album in 2009, and released as the fourth single from that album. The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for Innerspeaker and the follow-up Lonerism.
Beard, Wives, Denim is the fourth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, released in Australia on 2 March 2012, by Modular Recordings. Most of the album was recorded over two weeks at Zampatti Farm in Eagle Bay, Western Australia in April 2010, which is pictured on the album cover. The album was preceded by three singles: "Fantastic Explosion of Time", "Moth Wings" and "Mystery".
Psychedelic Mango is the debut studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, released in Australia on 9 January 2009, by Badminton Bandit, and was re-released digitally in 2010 on iTunes. According to the liner notes, the album was recorded by Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, and Joseph Ryan in Allbrook's parents' house on their 8-track tape machine. Only 500 physical copies were released.
Jay Watson is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a touring member of the psychedelic rock band Tame Impala and as a co-founder of the psychedelic rock/pop band Pond, with whom he's recorded nine albums. Watson also records solo material under the name GUM and, as of 2023, has released six studio albums under this name. In addition, he sometimes collaborates with fellow Pond member James Ireland as the duo GUM & Ginoli, remixing songs originally recorded by a variety of different artists, and occasionally contributes production and mixing to the solo projects of fellow Pond members as well as other local Perth musicians.
Nicholas Allbrook is an Australian psychedelic rock musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the frontman of Pond, and a member of musical duo Allbrook/Avery. He was a touring member of Tame Impala before leaving the group in 2013.
"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" is a song by Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. It is the seventh track on their 2012 album Lonerism, and was released as its second single on 1 October 2012. The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for their first album, Innerspeaker. In an interview with Rick Rubin on the podcast Broken Record, Kevin Parker said he wrote "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" after being inspired by "Walk in the Park" by Beach House.
Cameron Avery is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the bands Pond and Tame Impala, and as the frontman for The Growl.
The discography of Tame Impala, a psychedelic rock project by the Australian musician Kevin Parker, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, four extended plays, twenty two singles and several collaborations and compilation appearances.
Currents is the third studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 17 July 2015 by Modular Recordings. It was released by Interscope Records in the United States and by Fiction Records in the United Kingdom, while Caroline International released it in other regions. Like the project's previous two albums, Currents was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker. For the first time, Parker mixed the music and recorded all instruments by himself; the album featured no other collaborators.
Joseph Michael "Shiny Joe" Ryan is an Irish-Australian psychedelic rock musician, singer and songwriter. He is the founding mainstay multi-instrumentalist and guitarist of Pond, which have released nine albums. Ryan has issued two solo albums, The Cosmic Microwave Background and Shiny's Democracy. He also does the visuals for fellow Australian band Tame Impala.
The Weather is the seventh studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 5 May 2017 by Marathon Artists. As with previous Pond albums, it is also produced by former member and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker. It features 10 tracks, led by its first single "Sweep Me Off My Feet".
Tasmania is the eighth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 1 March 2019 by Spinning Top Records via Caroline Australia. As with previous Pond albums, it is also produced by former member and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker. It features 10 tracks, led by third single "Daisy".
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets is an Australian psychedelic rock band formed in 2014 in Perth. The band are made up of English guitarist and singer Jack McEwan, guitarist Luke Parish, drummer Danny Caddy, bassist Wayan Biliondana, and keyboardist Chris Young, who began playing together in "an old horse barn in Leederville". Their genre and sound has been compared to that of other popular psychedelic rock bands in Australia, such as King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala. They have self-described their sound as "an energetic mess of colour and tone". Concerning the reasoning behind the name of the band, its members have given little explanation. The band claims it was chosen at random because they thought it was amusing.
The Slow Rush is the fourth studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 14 February 2020. It follows the 2015 album Currents and the 2019 singles "Patience" and "Borderline", with the latter serving as the first single from the album. Rooted in psychedelic disco music, the album was positively received by critics and reached the top 10 on many record charts around the world, debuting atop the charts in three countries and as well as on the US Alternative and Rock charts.
9 is the ninth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 1 October 2021 by Spinning Top Records. The album was produced by the band themselves, the first since 2012's Beard, Wives, Denim to not be co-produced by former member Kevin Parker, with bandmates Jay Watson and James Ireland on mixing duties.