The Weather

by Pond

Overview

A reference to a once mundane subject that's come to be loaded with the realities of climate change, The Weather is the seventh studio LP from Australian psych-pop outfit Pond. The album was produced by Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, bandmate and former bandmate of Pond founders Jay Watson and Nick Allbrook, respectively. The title also refers to the sociopolitical climate leading up to its release in the spring of 2017. In fact, the band's otherwise often inscrutable lyrics openly address these topics, alongside an also somewhat transformed sound. Still trippy and shambolic, The Weather carries an epic, sometimes otherworldly luster, with a synth-poppy psychedelia that takes a half step out of deep fuzz toward ELO. All of the above is on display on the theatrical single "30000 Megatons," which contemplates the nuclear threat ("pointed at her and him and you and me and everyone we know"). It does so with dramatic synths and pleas for sanity amid references to Xanax, Tinder, and Australian morning-radio personalities before the vocals are drowned out by a cacophony of guitar, thudding drums, and spoken-word clips. (Of note, the single was released on the day of Donald Trump's inauguration.) The present and future are explored further on songs like "Colder Than Ice," a new wavy tune replete with saxophone, and the glitchy "Zen Automaton." Elsewhere, "A/B" is a chaotic rock-out that transforms into a piano meditation before the midway point. According to Allbrook, it contrasts overindulgence with the recollection of a girl he met at a train station. Written by Watson, the more playful "All I Want for Xmas (Is a Tascam 388)" wrangles stomping beats, meeping synths, and animal calls. While still typically madcap, The Weather may be the band's most coherent release to date, especially with a song like "Sweep Me Off My Feet," the record's AOR-friendly lead single. Taken as a whole, it works as both a flamboyant acknowledgment of and release from volatile times. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	05/12/2017
Label:	Marathon Artists
UPC:	5060454948353

Tracks

1. 30000 Megatons
2. Sweep Me Off My Feet
3. Paint Me Silver
4. Colder Than Ice
5. Edge of the World, Pt. 1
6. A/B
7. Zen Automaton
8. All I Want for Xmas (Is a Tascam 388)
9. Edge of the World, Pt. 2
10. The Weather

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pond   Primary Artist,Vocals
Mei Saraswaati   Vocals
Kirin J. Callinan   Guitar,Vocals,Featured Artist
Sam Newman   Horn
Jamie Canny   Horn
Christian Ruggiero   Horn,Saxophone
James Ireland   Piano

Technical Credits

Joe Ryan   Composer,Composer,Group Member
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Todd Rundgren   Composer
Joseph Ryan   Composer
Kevin Parker   Engineer,Producer
Jay Watson   Composer,Group Member
Pond   Engineer,Instrumentation
Nick Allbrook   Composer,Group Member
Kirin J. Callinan   Composer
Jamie Terry   Composer,Group Member
Alex Joseph   Design
Richard Ingham   Engineer
James Ireland   Producer