At first, I doubted the urgency of Terrestrials. I don’t know if I listened without paying enough attention, but the chorus of Tourmaline was the only moment I found emotionally persuasive. On the song, Pond frontman Nick Allbrook lets out an incensed, throaty shriek, questioning what the best course of action is to take – mind spiralling, exploding – against the corporate cunts who continue to destroy the planet. Nick has no interest in violence, but peace is starting to bore him…
But yes, hands raised, I admit I got the album wrong; there is plenty of urgency, particularly where Terrestrials audially captures the importance of its themes. Allbrook’s shrieks are plentiful; the band’s sprawling tension is notable as soon as emerging vocals, unshowy guitar patchworks, and several sonic booms convene with opening track Skyworks’ lambasting of apathetic ‘kings’.
These ‘kings’ continue to find a way to speak for the populous, no matter its hesitance. There is a large, large, oh god it’s large, consensus of ‘humanity’ that finds common ground with these special ones; the titular terrestrials are human; the strangest terrestrials, who destroy their own homes. The first thing we should ask the aliens we may or may not eventually meet is whether they destroy their own homes. The title track splits humanity into “psychotics, infants, lovers and saints”; those hellbent on destruction, those too ignorant to have a say, and the good guys who may one day prevail.
The album needed a sense of prevailing. Pond’s home in Western Australia is being taken over by mining giants, which in turn take control over much of nature, including heritage sites and wildlife welfare, undoing the good work of indigenous peoples who have sought to preserve natural history. Roebuck Plains has a sense of prevailing in its feelgood chords, containing their own resistance, but they know what they’re up against, which okays Two Hands’ necessity for anger, factoring into a massive bridge section before its final chorus, screaming “you might say I’m fine / but life was green when I took the vine / hung by the feet from a length of twine / swung on the breeze from a Norfolk pine”. These are screams that chain themselves to sacred rock shelters; those destroyed by the Rio Tinto mining company, which blew up Juukun Gorge and offered nothing but a half-assed apology. Casuarina similarly takes action, in a style that approaches synth punk whilst utilising a bunting of three-note arpeggios that resemble a sped-up Carry That Weight.
There is little focus on guitars on Terrestrials, which I would argue is a nonfactor, but it is what allows acoustic-led closing track Nashville (I’m Dying) to have such a healing, prevailing effect. Classic hippy crap with a great, unionising hook – “treating us all as equal / and breathing all the same air / don’t you love all the people? / God, I miss all the people” – might be the answer to Nick’s pondering on Tourmaline; no violence, no peace, but a bringing together of the best of mankind, those who “still believe in love, and work, and music”.
Pond feels very together, very screwed-on in its abundance of Moogs, Korgs and effects, giving Terrestrials an ‘80s tinge that benefits the synth melodies that play simultaneously, and groove, with Nick’s voice on Through the Heather – music, there’s ya remedy! The album’s inspiration, taken from ‘80s post-punk, new wave and gothic rock, is easy to spot and placed well into a modern setting, primarily by the band’s self-production, though old pal Kevin Parker contributes to The Fatal Shore. The influence taken from Australian bands like The Church and Midnight Oil is teachable to us gaijins.
The music is special, or special enough – still quite washy, unable to always hold up its end of the bargain in the urgency department – but the meaning behind Terrestrials is what supplies the gravity. This is the kinder alternative to the unfirm future Pond predicts, made from emotional validity, rather than the removal of soul, corporate bureaucracy/irresponsibility, or artificial intelligence.
Best tracks – Tourmaline – Nashville (I’m Dying).
Rating – 7 out of 10
