7/10

While Australia's psych-rock scene has already established its fair-share of household names these last few decades, Pond have been one of the more interesting additions to the fledgling movement. Regularly keeping their aesthetic as fresh and innovative as possible, their prolific run of releases has given them this wildly adventurous sound that always looks to push the boundaries of their direction as far as it will go. And after 2021's '9' continued that stellar ascent, they are back with their tenth studio album 'Stung!', a record brimming with innovation once again.

Keeping the same rich and lofty appeal they have been pursuing on their more recent offerings, 'Stung!' is a wonderfully warm and hazy return to form for them. Maintaining more of that fresh and immersive appeal that they have been exploring plenty of lately, this new collection finds them in a refined guise throughout, moving effortlessly throughout its bold and breezy ideals at every turn.

While not much has moved on for them sonically recently, 'Stung!' holds the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra to heart. Continuing the vigorous pursuits they have always looked to maintain, Pond remain a shining light within today's psych-rock arena.