Music Critic Sammy Andrews reviews Dead Pony’s unapologetic debut album
IGNORE THIS is a brash and unapologetic call to attention from Dead Pony. On their debut album, the Glasgow band refuse to play it safe, experimenting with genres, production and what an album itself means to them.
Melding their established grunge leaning alt-rock sound with crunchier guitars, intense drums, and electronic production, Dead Pony refuse to be put in one box on IGNORE THIS. Influences can be heard from the hyper-pop production of title track ‘IGNORE THIS’, to the dance grooves of ‘Bad Girlfriend.’ Expansive in its influences, IGNORE THIS makes a statement from Dead Pony that just when you think you know them, you will have to think again.
The VHS tapes on the album’s artwork find their sonic counterpart weaved throughout the album. Interludes such as ‘the antagonist is ignorance’, ‘myself’, ‘tedious and bleak’, and ‘motor city mad man’ enter more melodic moments into the soundscape. Each is a small breather from the bulk of the album’s more intense moments.
…Dead Pony’s fearless approach to making themselves heard with IGNORE THIS is undeniable.
Its sheer size is ambitious, coming in at just under 50 minutes in run time. Especially for a debut album, Dead Pony’s fearless approach to making themselves heard with IGNORE THIS is undeniable. Commendable as this is, it does also at times hinder their force, pushing moments of attention-grabbing melodies and genre-hopping experimentation into slight exhaustion.
Lead singer Anna Shields’ vocals, however, will spark your attention and command it for the entire album. In ‘COBRA’ she boasts ‘I’m a lot like a tank, let me show ya’, and it is this attitude and unabashedly resilient approach that characterises the album. Whether it is in more anthemic moments like ‘I might die’ or the high intensity of ‘AWOL’, you cannot help but be hooked on every word she has to say.
At its best moments, IGNORE THIS is an infectiously enthralling invitation into Dead Pony’s cathartic and captivating world.
These calls to attention reach new heights in specific moments of unforgettable hooks. ‘MK NOTHING’ is incredibly energetic, boasting an adrenaline fuelled hook in its chorus that will likely get stuck in your head. Similarly, ‘About Love’, though less high-energy, follows the same structure of a slower verse followed by an impactful ear worm of a chorus. At its best moments, IGNORE THIS is an infectiously enthralling invitation into Dead Pony’s cathartic and captivating world.
Hopping between genres, experimenting with production, and playing around with the listener’s experience of the album Dead Pony are unafraid to make themselves heard on IGNORE THIS. Its length does however leave it bloated at times and pulls away from the punch Dead Pony are trying to hit. That being said, Dead Pony are unapologetic and undeniably energetic on IGNORE THIS, and at its heights, the album will have you do anything but look away from it.
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