Richard In Your Mind’s catalogue boasts 5 releases through Rice Is Nice, each and everyone cherished and adored.

Their latest album Ponderosa is the band’s most melodic, dynamic and fun release yet.

Created over the last 2 years the album is a meticulously crafted, joyous, and bizarre collection of songs showcasing a plethora of strengths from this unique band.

Sitars, synthesizers, vocal harmonies, groovy beats and an array of found sounds combine to create a kaleidoscopic pop dream of an album. From the singalong pop gem ‘Hammered’ to the beautiful and dreamy ‘Shooting Star', Ponderosa is a journey of exploration, discovery, spontaneity and escapism.

Recorded by the band at their ever faithful Super Love Brain studio in the Blue Mountains, Ponderosa is a giant leap forward for the group in terms of performance and craftsmanship. Mixed and co-produced by regular cohort SPOD, the album features guest appearances from good friend Emily Wilton, former band-mate Jordy Lane, Alyx Dennison and even Richard’s wife Katie on the bittersweet duet ‘Crew of the Neptune’.

Band leader Richard Cartwright explains the album’s name: “Ponderosa is the name of the ranch where the Cartwright family live on the old TV show Bonanza,” he says. “Being a Cartwright myself, people often make references to my distant television cousins, so Ponderosa to me is a quest to find the elusive imaginary ancestral ‘home’. Like most quests, it is the journey that is important, and often what one seeks outwardly, one can only find within.”

If that sounds too heady don’t worry. Cartwright and his core band of surrealists (Conrad Greenleaf on bass, synth and guitar and Pat Torres on drums) have always found a way of taking the slightly off-kilter and converting it into beautifully relatable art and Ponderosa is no exception.

Richard In Your Mind’s Ponderosa is a wild ride… one that makes perfect sense while you’re on it.
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