Stung!

Last updated

Stung!
Pond - Stung!.png
Studio album by
Pond
Released21 June 2024
Studio
Genre
Length54:32
Label Spinning Top
Producer Pond
Pond chronology
9
(2021)		Stung!
(2024)
Singles from Stung!
  1. "Neon River"
    Released: 31 January 2024
  2. "(I'm) Stung"
    Released: 27 March 2024
  3. "So Lo"
    Released: 28 May 2024

Stung! is the tenth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 21 June 2024 via Spinning Top. It is the band's first double album, [2] and as their tenth release, serves as a de facto celebration of everything the band had previously accomplished with their prior albums. Upon its release, Stung! received generally positive reviews from music critics.

Contents

It peaked at 49 on the ARIA Charts. [3]

Background

According to front man Nick Allbrook, he wrote most of the record's lead single, "(I'm) Stung", while "mowing someone's lawn", furthermore elaborating that:

I went home and put my fingers on the piano and pretty much played the base of it first go. This is a very rare and special treat and buoyed me for weeks. It's funny because I had a mad crush on someone, and they dropped me like a sack of shit and this song just flew down and clocked me right in the forehead and I felt totally better. Then Gin and Gum added all their magic – cool sounds, passing chords.. It's about being totally pathetically stung by someone and just having to be cool with it being unrequited. Being resilient, accepting that you are a bit of a goose, but life goes on. [4]

The record was initially recorded in multi-instrumentalist Jay Watson's backyard studio, but was eventually taken to a studio in Dunsborough, Western Australia where they "swam during the day and recorded at night". [4] Specific influences for the record include Fleetwood Mac's Tusk and Prince's Sign o' the Times . [2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 80/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Clash 8/10 [7]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Exclaim! 6/10 [9]
Rolling Stone Australia Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Stung! received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from 8 critic scores. [5]

Reviewing the album for Allmusic, Fred Thomas called it, "another hard-to-categorize but easy-to-enjoy chapter in Pond's ever-changing story. It's full of melodies made for both sunny summer days and solitary, reflective walks, and often changes gears with little notice." [6] James Jennings of Rolling Stone Australia praised Stung!, giving it a 4/5. They described the album as a "obscure psychedelic pop gem from another era". Specific highlights Jennings noted included the lead single "(I'm Stung)", which was described as a "glam-funk stomper", "Neon River", which was described as a "seventies rock freak out", and the "epic centerpiece", "Edge of the World Pt. 3".

Another favorable review by Brad Sked of DIY stated that the album showcased a "blending evolution within their artistry, while still keeping in touch with their otherworldly roots". Some tracks they note include the opener "Constant Picnic", which Sked noted as meandering "towards the ethereal with a surreal, synth-disco -pop ballad that's an ideal summer soundtrack". "Edge of the World Pt. 3" was also a major highlight which they believed at times veered towards acid jazz and is intertwined with space rock. They also noted that it sounded akin to the works of former drummer and producer Kevin Parker and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.

A less favourable review by Matthew Teklemarian of Exclaim! gave the record a 6/10. They described the record as being more "ebb and flow, muted in disposition and hyperactivity". Some of the highlights include "Constant Picnic", "Neon River", and "So Lo". Overall, they believe that while the first two-thirds are well paced, the record falls apart in the last third, describing it as "where indistinct sanguine ballads are sent to die. A hitherto expertly controlled buzz is bogged down by demos fleshed out in perfunctory fashion".

Track listing

Stung! track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Constant Picnic"
3:29
2."(I'm) Stung"
  • Allbrook
  • Ireland
  • Watson
3:55
3."Neon River"
  • Watson
  • Allbrook
4:12
4."So Lo"
  • Watson
  • Allbrook
3:48
5."Black Lung"
  • Ireland
  • Watson
  • Allbrook
4:28
6."Sunrise for the Lonely"Allbrook3:30
7."Elf Bar Blues"Ireland2:06
8."Edge of the World Pt. 3"
8:07
9."Stars In Silken Sheets"
  • Ryan
  • Allbrook
0:35
10."Boys Don't Crash"
  • Watson
  • Allbrook
3:46
11."O' UV Ray"
  • Ryan
  • Allbrook
  • Watson
4:15
12."Last Elvis"
  • Allbrook
  • Ireland
  • Watson
3:34
13."Elephant Gun"
  • Allbrook
  • Ireland
3:16
14."Fell from Grace With the Sea"
  • Ryan
  • Allbrook
5:17
Total length:54:25

Personnel

Pond

Additional contributors

Charts

Chart performance for Stung!
Chart (2021)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [3] 49

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References

  1. ↑ Taysom, Joe (27 March 2024). "Pond break down adventurous new album 'Stung!': "There's no point churning things out"". Far Out. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Pond Announce New Album Stung!, Share Title Track: Stream". 27 March 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Australiancharts.com – Pond – Stung!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Pond Announce New Album 'Stung!': Hear "(I'm) Stung"". Stereogum. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Stung! by Pond". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  6. 1 2 Thomas, Fred (21 June 2024). "Stung! - Pond | Album". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Mclister, Matthew (19 June 2024). "Pond - Stung! | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "Pond - Stung!". DIY. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Pond Aren't Quite Sharp Enough on 'Stung!' | Exclaim!". Pond Aren't Quite Sharp Enough on 'Stung!' | Exclaim!. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Pond 'Stung!': Album Review". Rolling Stone Australia. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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