Draft:Stung!

Stung! is the tenth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was initially released on 21 June 2024 via Spinning Top. It is the bands first double album and mostly received praise from critics.

It peaked at 49 on the ARIA Charts.

Background
According to front man Nick Allbrook, he wrote most the record 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."The record was initially recorded in drummer 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". Specific influences for the record include Fleetwood Mac's Tusk and Prince's Sign o' the Times.

Reception
According to music aggregation site Metacritic, the album has an average score of 81/100 from 7 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". 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 "(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 favorable 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".

Personnel
Pond


 * Nick Allbrook – vocals, flute, keys, synth, guitar, bass, slide guitar, occasional drums, production
 * Joe Ryan – guitar, vocals, bass, 12-string guitar, slide guitar, occasional synth, production
 * Jay Watson – drums, vocals, bass, guitar, keys, synth, production and mixing
 * Jamie Terry – keys, synth, organ, bass, occasional guitar, production
 * James "Gin" Ireland – drums, occasional keys, production, and mixing