Americana Highways brings you this premiere album stream of Pond Diver’s Flashbacks Part 1. The EP was produced by Austin Motlow and David Marsh; engineered by Austin Motlow; and mixed and mastered by Chris Bethea. Flashbacks Part 1 is Daniel Lewey on lead vocals; David Marsh, Marie Lewey and Cindy Walker on backing vocals, Collin James, Luke Wright, and Adam Schoenbachler on electric guitars; David Marsh on bass, piano, and double bass; Hudson James on drums; Clint Chandler on keyboard, organ and synthesized; Luke Wright on vibraphone and baritone guitar.
The EP also featured John Paul White on backing vocals on “Over the Hill”; and on “Racecar” Thad Saajid on organ; Sam Merciers on saxophone; Austin Shelton on trumpet; and Dylan Mashburn on trombone.
With celestial openings and dramatic arrangements, Flashbacks Part 1 creates a climate of sustained suspense by electric guitar all throughout the EP. There is so much to be said for the significance nostalgia, and Pond Diver hits that nail squarely on the head.
As the name states, we decided to take a look back with Flashbacks. The whole project was born out of us returning to our hometown of Florence, AL after several years in different cities, living different lives. Themes of fond memories, painful ones, and general nostalgia permeate the lyrics throughout Flashbacks. In a way, the songs on this project are stories that we are telling ourselves as we look back on time spent elsewhere.
We are a mixed bag when it comes to musical influences and upbringing. Born in the Shoals, the region’s musical impact on us is undeniable, but we wanted to reach beyond that to some of our other influences. Collectively, we listen to everything from current indie and alternative rock to Muscle Shoals era classics to jazz, pop, country, and everything in between. Our journey towards finding our sound resulted in Flashbacks, which we feel is a unique sum of all of the little influential pieces between us. With that said, as we release songs from Flashbacks, it’s been interesting for us to sit back and see how different outlets will label us as “Americana” or “pop” or “southern rock.” We’re excited about all of these different classifications, but we really don’t know what to call it either. That’s both a difficult and a really fun element of Flashbacks.
We’re thrilled about the release of Flashbacks Part 1 for a number of reasons, but one in particular stands out. As long-time friends, we have been able to watch each other grow musically for over a decade. Over that time, the five of us have been involved in various musical projects, written countless songs, and seen many failures and successes. Now, as Pond Diver, we have found something that really resonates with all of us – something we’re really proud of – and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.