Review Summary: Zero trick PONY
PONY’s visual aesthetics are
sick. From
TV Baby’s cutesy pastel album art (disclaimer: I’m assuming that’s pastel, I’m colourblind as hell) to the gothic funeral vibes of the band’s Spotify banner to truly terrible song titles such as ‘WebMD’, ‘Furniture’ and ‘Couch’, yeah, I have no idea what’s going on. But it’s pretty damn appealing.
Sadly, the music doesn’t quite match this level of intrigue. For the most part, the Canadians’ first full length boasts a sparkly indie pop sound that leans a little too heavily on non-existent hooks. Every song is short, snappy, and entirely pleasant to listen to, but fails to leave any kind of lasting impression. Fuzzed out guitars form the backbone of
TV Baby, carrying the record from unremarkable moment to unremarkable moment, with Sam Bielanski’s vocals gelling a little too well with the rhythm section. Much like the rest of the band’s respective instruments, her voice is a perfect fit for the grungily sleek sound, yet frequently ends up blending in when it should pop out. One exception comes in the form of the wonderful ‘My Room’, where a euphoric chorus finds PONY letting loose to great results.
However, this highlight barely lasts two minutes, exposing the issue of
TV Baby’s rather short runtime. Songs never get the chance to go anywhere interesting or unexpected, instead repeating nearly indistinguishable choruses once again or smoothly gliding into the next slice of brief power pop comfort food. Ultimately, PONY showcase a lot of potential as all the right ingredients are present, but are held back by a palpable lack of confidence which prevents their first record from doing anything genuinely exciting.
