The Early Years: 2008 – 2010 (RSD 25)

‘Early Years’ is made up of three albums, Psychedelic Mango (2008), Corridors of Blissterday (2009), and Frond (2010). The first two were never originally mastered, which meant we could just take the 16bit WAV from the CD copies we found and master them for the first time. The CDs, by the way, were from the CD Pressing Plant down the road from us; we just took our digital 8-track files down there and asked for ‘some CDs, please!’

“From the band’s conception under the teeming purple branches of Mulberia, its first steps around a filthy share-house carpet in Daglish, to some of its first words – ‘mango’ ‘duck’ ‘bucket’ – these songs form a sepia photo album of Ponds’ giddy first days, lovingly re-touched and remastered by Jay and Gin. They were the best of times, and probably not anywhere near the worst of times. Just some barely adult idiots with limited access to money or the internet trying to be silly and trippy in equal measures, while lacking the intellect or maturity to see how vastly overambitious they actually were.” – Nicholas Allbrook