The Weather (Album Review)

Pond – The Weather (2017)

A hazy, synth-soaked psych rock trip that aims big—even when it doesn’t always land.

Welcome to deepcutdigest, where I overthink music so you don’t have to.

Today’s review: The Weather by Pond; A synth-drenched psych rock album that’s messy, dreamy, and weird. It’s a record that sits somewhere between familiar and unpredictable, and whether that’s a good thing kind of depends on your mood.

Let’s Talk About Pond

Have you ever been listening to a Tame Impala album and found yourself thinking, “This would hit harder if Kevin Parker wasn’t doing absolutely everything?”  Well let me introduce you to Pond.

Pond is a psychedelic indie rock band from Perth, Australia—cut from the same cloth as Tame Impala but a little rougher around the edges. They lean into glammy weirdness, electronic fuzz, and swirling psych textures that feel both messy and intentional. If Tame Impala is the refined older sibling, Pond is the impulsive art-school one with a modular synth addiction.

Why The Weather?

I chose The Weather, their seventh studio album, as my starting point because it feels like a turning point for the band. Released in 2017, this project is where their sound fully locks into the spacey, synth-forward style that carried them into broader popularity.

This is an album built for zoning out. Like a lot of psych rock, it’s clearly trying to say something—but unless you’re reading along with the lyrics, that message often gets buried beneath dreamy distortion and dense production. It’s cohesive in mood but loose in structure, which can be both a strength and a weakness.

If you’re into reverb-heavy psych rock, theatrical synth layers, or anything that sounds like it was made in a bunker during a heatwave: this one’s worth a listen.

What Stuck With Me

Paint Me Silver- stands out as the catchiest track here. It’s funky, bouncy, and totally wrapped in dreamy effects without ever feeling overproduced.

Sweep Me Off My Feet- tones down the synths and brings a more structured psych rock energy that’s easier to loop without context. Definitely a gateway track.

Fire in the Water- despite being a bonus track this is one of the most replayable songs on the album. It’s less dense, more laid-back, and plays like a smooth exhale after all the chaos.

I also found a lot to like in 30000 Megatons, which sets the tone with dramatic, protest-style energy, and Zen Automaton, which leans fully into surreal, unfiltered psychedelia.

The rest of the tracklist tends to blur together. That’s not always a bad thing—it creates a mood—but it also means fewer individual highlights to pull out of context.

Final Thoughts

I like this album. It’s immersive, sonically rich, and shows off what makes Pond such a compelling band. But it’s also one of those records where you finish listening and realize you forgot to mark any timestamps. It washes over you, for better or worse.

If you're looking for something distant and dreamy with just enough punch to keep you engaged, The Weather is worth a listen. Just don’t expect every track to leave a mark.

Final Score: 6/10

Some standout moments, some forgettable ones—but a solid, spacey ride all the same.

Did The Weather hit for you, or did it just wash over you like background noise? Drop your favorite track in the comments or on IG @deepcutdigest