Tipperary-born musician's new album debuts at number 2 in Australian album charts

Nenagh-born musician, 'Shiny' Joe Ryan, is a member of the Australian psych-rock band Pond, whose 10th album 'Stung!' has debuted this week in the number 2 spot in the Australian Album charts.

Joe Ryan was born in Nenagh to parents Gerard and Catherine Ryan, he spent the first few years of his life in his grandparents pub The Kenyon before emigrating with his parents to Perth, Australia. 

He is a founding member of Pond and a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with the band whose other members include frontman Nick Allbrook and Jay Watson, who is a touring member of the popular band Tame Impala. Joe also joins Tame Impala on tour holding responsibility for their live visuals and releases his own music under the name 'Shiny' Joe Ryan.

Pond's 10th album, Stung!, has received much critical acclaim since it's release a week ago with Clash Music saying, "Ten albums in 15 years is certainly no mean feat and the Perth band’s latest puffs its chest out to stand up alongside the rest of them. A smorgasbord of ideas brimming in confidence and light."

Joe's impressive musicianship can be heard throughout the album but one highlight is his vocals alongside bandmate Jay for the chorus of one of the standout tracks O'UV Ray.  

The band embark on their EU tour later this year and will follow that up with a North American tour into the Winter months. There's currently no Irish dates but with a gap in the tour in late October, it's entirely possible 'Shiny' Joe might get into Rohan's in Nenagh for a sing-song before heading stateside.

Although The Kenyon has since changed ownership, a lot of Joe's family are still living around the Nenagh area and every now and again Joe will be seen walking Pearse street, easily identified by the abundance of curly hair adding a few inches to his height.

Stung! can be heard on all the usual streaming sites now.