Pond - 9

9 is the ninth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, released in October 2021 via Spinning Top Records.

Formed in Perth by Tame Impala members Nick Allbrook and Jay Watson, with fellow Perth musician "Shiny" Joe Ryan (who does the visuals for Tame Impala) in 2008, Pond was founded with the intention of being a collaborative music project where the trio could get anyone they wanted to play whatever they wanted. The band's first album, Psychedelic Mango was recorded in 2009 on the band's 8-track in Nick's parent's house.

Following the success of Tame Impala's 2010 debut album Innerspeaker, the band recorded another album, Beard, Wives, Denim, adding Jamie Terry, and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker to the band's line-up, and releasing the album in 2012 following the band's North American tour, and appearance at South by Southwest. The same year Pond were named "The Hottest New Band In The World" by NME in their "Hot List" issue.

After releasing their eighth studio album Tasmania in March 2019, the band embarked on a local Australian tour; their first since 2017. After this, the band then toured in the UK and Europe, followed by a live album Sessions released in November 2019.

In Pond’s universe nothing stays still for long. Although no one who heard 2019’s “Tasmania” could possibly describe its pulsating psych-pop as straight, Pond wanted to try a more spontaneous way of working for their next record. Taking a leaf out of krautrock outliers Can’s book, at the start of 2020, Pond embarked on a series of totally off-the-cuff jam sessions from which songs and ideas could be pulled out.

Given the pace at which ideas whizz past your head, it makes for a dizzying listen. Opener “Song For Agnes” explodes out the speakers like an intergalactic rock opera, running a synapse-tingling gauntlet through bubbling synth pop, 80s hair metal and blissed out saxophone before you know what’s hit you. It’s an opposite curtain-raiser for an album that can encompass pounding techno, elastic hipped robo-funk, tripped out motorik and acres more besides without even topping for breath. Above all, what you get from “9” is a sense of creative abandon and just plain fun.

This album is an indies record stores limited “freo edition” on 180 gram purple and white swirl coloured vinyl with a printed inner sleeve and download code, pressed in Australia via Spinning Top.