The psychedelic rock world knows Pond as a household name, and after ten albums they have continued to make a name for themselves. The quintet returns to Chicago this Friday at Vic Theatre on their 2024 North American tour after the launch of their new album, Stung!. Released June 21st, it was a monumental drop as the group joined the double digits in album releases club, which is already difficult to achieve from bands worldwide. The LP explores Pond’s strongest rock styles and a touch of their experimental side, like the instrumental “Elf Bar Blues”, or the strong continuation of “Edge of the World Pt. 3”, echoing earlier parts 1 and 2 from their 2017 album, The Weather. I got to interview the group about Stung!, including the challenges they may face after expanding their discography.
“I think just keeping going when it seems dumb and pointless,” they explained. “Once the excitement of discovering new promises and new powers wears thin and you have to lean back on the simple joy of speaking your creative language with your mates.”
“[Stung!] has a different color to the slime green and chrome of 9,” explained the band, whose last release was in 2022. “More peachy and blue, sort of like a sunset, which echoes the emotional content that is mourning an ending, while being sort of resigned to the sad necessity of the cycle.” Pond describes a theme that everybody has experienced at one point or another and the album cover reflects this, as a bee blurs in the frame.
In terms of finalizing the album, it is safe to say the group had the time of their lives.
“We went down South together to finish the album, so it was a real nice rock-bonding-camp where we could swim and record and make dinner and drink stubbies (Australian slang for beer) every day till the album was done pretty much.” South, the band clarified, is the coastal town of Dunsborough in Western Australia where the group would swim on the coast all day, and record nearly throughout the night.
“We didn’t even hate each other by the end, so I reckon that means it brought us closer together?”
After being a band for over a decade, this is quite a bold statement to make. Band members often cannot stand each other during the process of creating an album, yet Pond has proven time and time again that at the end of the day, they are five mates with wild creative sides that bring out the best in each other.
Pond’s artistry is one to be admired and inspired by, and there is no doubt that energy will be present at the Vic. Tickets are still available for Pond’s Chicago show tomorrow night, and you can grab them on their website.