Names are important. To name something is to define it. Doing so gives you power. And for years it felt like Dead Pony’s name was all too fitting. They were going nowhere, not fulfilling their potential, never catching a break; flogging, as the saying goes, a Dead Pony. That all changed however with their debut album. Designed specifically to catch attention, its title dared listeners to ‘Ignore This’, with a sound that was inventive and arresting. The gambit worked, so the follow-up uses that same strategy. It’s called ‘Eat My Dust!’. They know how good it is.
Dead Pony are a rock band whose music mixes swaying, swaggery riffs with repeating vocal patterns, but not just that. There’s a thrilling sense of adventure to their music. You’re never quite sure what to expect.
‘What If?’ begins with a repeating piano part, like an evil version of Madonna’s ‘Frozen’. It threatens to head towards pop music territory before descending into buzzing, technical riffing and distorted screams. In doing so, it raises a middle finger to expectations while setting the stage for what comes next. Essentially, each song features a brilliant setup before plunging headfirst into new ideas. It can be heard as the boisterous ‘BOOM!’ shifts gears or in the nest of electronic spiders that replaces a guitar solo on ‘Eat My Dust!’. It’s all slick and never feels unwarranted. Imagine a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat; you know what’s coming but can’t help but be impressed by the flourish.
As the name suggests, ‘Freak Like Me’ is a delightfully weird song that uses soundscapes and an interesting sonic palette alongside chainsaw-like guitars that push Dead Pony into the same sonic spaces as Nine Inch Nails.
The EP is again produced by guitarist Blair Crichton. This is the key. While affording one person such creative control can be risky, here, his wild ideas are expressed with confidence. He also captures an indefinable sense of glee. It’s hard to listen to ‘Freak Like Me‘ or ‘BOOM!‘ without imagining Crichton in the control room, grinning like a torturer as the music contorts into some striking shapes. Even the relatively straightforward ‘Fury’ has every drop of excitement squeezed from it.
Returning to the piano sound that opens the EP, the final song ‘Lost Inside Of Me’ slowly reveals itself to be something of a masterpiece. Drifting on an easy chorus, it uses the phrase ‘Inside me’ as a soft hook. Then, it folds in on itself, internalising that message, resulting in a massive guitar-based nervous breakdown. It’s a superb expression of idea and a great song.
This is Dead Pony with all the dials set to eleven. Their new EP sees them evolving into one of the most exciting rock bands on the scene. It’s the sound of them accelerating away from their peers. ‘Eat My Dust!’ indeed.
IAN KENWORTHY