Listen to the new album by cult Aussie band Pond and things seem to be getting serious.

The psychedelic rock band, who hit the Art School on Monday, have always had a chaotic, almost comedic side but on The Weather songs like 30000 Megatons and the sprawling two-parter End of the World hit out at the state of the world.

And frontman Nick Allbrook hopes the tracks can inspire some change.

“I see plenty of reason for optimism,” he says.

“If you step back a hundred years, we are making fabulous progress. But I am constantly driven mad by the puerile idiots that tear tooth and claw to hold it back. I hope all the pessimism in this album acts as one more voice among many voices.

“If there is a big enough chorus screaming discontent it is not hard to join in, and then maybe if everyone joins in it'll be impossible to ignore.”

The album seems fitting for these Trump and Brexit times, but the direct inspiration was Australian politics, and the former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. However while the album’s blend of psychedelia, rock and synth-heavy funk has some heavy topics lyrically, the group’s humour and sense of energy are still there too.

“We don't feel dark and weighty all the time,” says Nick.

“Humour is very important to life, but it's not black and white. The scale of human emotion is vast and nebulous so stamping something as being 'political' or 'humorous' or ' a love song' kinda doesn't dig very far.

“I think a lot of the songs (on The Weather) oscillate in some torn up and infinitely human middle space. They’re sometimes proud, angry, pathetic, tired, inspired, wired, light, heavy or heart shattered, and all played out in before the rotating scenery of our lives. That scene is often Perth.”

Perth is where the group first came together in 2008, with a whole host of local musicians being involved over the years, including Tame Impala’s main man Kevin Parker. He has produced The Weather, while Pond’s Jay Watson also plays with Tame Impala.

Parker and company can now play arenas, with their music more poppy than ever. Pond are likely to remain a bit too wild to ever get quite that popular, but The Weather, their seventh album, moves towards pop and funk territory far more than before, with the likes of Sweep Me Off My Feet their most chart friendly tunes to date.

That doesn’t mean they’re going to stick with that style though.

“I think The Weather sounds more like what we want to sound like,” says Nick.

“It’s more what I would listen to… but we're so flighty we usually flip and decide we want to sound like Throbbing Gristle or something else every couple of months.”

Given that they have worked with Kevin Parker umpteen times before, from his spell as the band’s drummer to production work, it made sense to ask him to work on the record again.

“He knows the tools better, and he's just speaks from another, slightly different, angle of the creative world,” says Nick.

“We share aesthetics and tastes and can communicate these things really easily. It’s just good having the other guy with the big creative mind in the room hanging out and working. And he's funny as hell!”

Monday’s Glasgow return is also welcome for the band, and fans might spot them in a pub or two on the day – or a cemetery.

“Me and Jamie (Terry, keyboards player) spent a day walking about last time,” recalls Nick.

“We went to Kelvingrove, then to Brew Dog across the road and ended at the Pot Still I think.

“I’ve also been to the Necropolis a few times when the sun was out and walked around. I love that place the most.”

Pond, Art School, Monday, £16, 7pm

JONATHAN GEDDES