The Australian psych-rock outfit’s new single is a slice of slick psychedelic funk that takes a swipe at gentrification

Referring to the unprecedented 1983 America’s Cup win by the Royal Perth Yacht Club, bankrolled by Perth-based businessman and convicted fraudster Alan Bond, POND use glitzy synth and funky bass as a platform to satirise the transformation of the band’s hometown of Fremantle from an isolated, rural port to its current status as an uber-gentrified, bohemian enclave. 

In keeping with their 2019 release Tasmania, which married a dreamy, upbeat soundscape with angsty lyrics, this single from their forthcoming ninth studio album 9 (due 1st October 2021) has a similarly sardonic undercurrent to it. 

9 will be POND’s first release since 2012’s Beard, Wives, Denim to not feature Kevin Parker as a producer, however, and the effects of this change of course across the entire record remains to be seen. Regardless, the production on this single is excellent with clear, airy vocals, piquant guitar licks and punchy percussion mixed with skill.

Whilst comparisons with Tame Impala are fair, for me, this track immediately recalls So-era Peter Gabriel with its comical lampooning of corporate culture blended with synth-funk groove.

The absurdist video, in which a guy dressed as a yachtsman sells the Cup to the highest bidder and bops around enjoying every moment of it, is well worth a watch.

The lyrics refer to this culture of greed with a sigh of resignation, marking the eighties as a catalyst: “Before the America’s Cup / Never heard of methadone / … Never went to bed alone / Alan was a rolling stone.” This smart blend of glossy aural atmosphere with terse polemic strikes the perfect balance. 

America’s Cup, then, is a triumph on its own terms – a slice of slick psychedelic funk which packs some funny and timely social commentary – I just can’t wait to hear the full album in October.