Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Gum - Ill Times (2024) [Hi-Res]

Co-founder of Pond and touring member of Tame Impala, Jay Watson, also makes music as Gum. “Gum is my brain, unfiltered,” Watson says. A labour of love and an exercise in joy, written and recorded with Ambrose Kenny-Smith, best known as the mesmeric harmonica-player, keyboardist and vocalist with King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and The Murlocs. The debut collaborative album between the two is a 10 track exploration into groove, blues and soul, deeply hypnotic from start to finish.

Ill Times is easily as much fun as the duo had making it, and that was ridiculous amounts of fun. “What’s so rewarding about making this album with Ambrose – him taking ideas that I’ve loved for so long, and making them exist in real life and sound as good as they did in my head, or even better.”