Dead Pony - ‘IGNORE THIS’ review
Dead Pony By Euan Robertson
Once upon a time, Dead Pony, made up of Anna Shields on vocals, Blair Crichton with guitar and programming, Liam Adams on bass, and Euan Lyons on drums, went under a different name, but as they grew and members left they changed their name to Dead Pony. In 2020 and signed with their label LAB, and then in 2022, they released their stand-out EP, War Boys, and since then, they've grown more and more confident. They are back and ready with their debut album, IGNORE THIS, on 5 April comprising 12 songs produced, mixed, and written entirely by the band. With their signature sound and creative vision, this album is poised to leave a lasting impression.
"The antagonist is ignorance" kicks the album off, and from the first listen, one would question if they were listening to Dead Pony, but in fact – it's a prelude and a good one. The title track," IGNORE THIS," follows suit, and if you've heard Dead Pony before, you know precisely how catchy their EP was. But the song's sound has matured to a new level; the guitars and synths are in sync with Anna Shields's voice, and the backing vocals are distorted, but not distorted enough that one can't pick up what they are singing about.
"AWOL" goes harder; the nu-metal-esque sound, in the beginning, builds it up to Shields swooping in with her soft and controlled vocals.
"COBRA", the second single, is a diss song to the nay-sayers of the band. There's no denying that it packs a punch; it's fast, and with Blair's powerful vocals punctuating Shields's lines in the chorus with lines like "and if we come you better come for the hills." It's a dynamic exchange between bandmates unafraid to share the spotlight. "Bad Girlfriend" kicks us off with distorted guitars and pop vibes.
"Face On The Wall" is the penultimate song on the album and serves up some delicious vocals from Anna Shields and guitar riffs that would make anyone swoon over. It sends us back to the War Boys EP.
"myself", "Tedious and Bleak", and closer, "Motor City Mad Man" serve as great palette cleansers. Giving room for the boys in the band to get some time to fool around with some songs provides the album with a nice break from the usual setup.
For a debut album, the intricacy of the instrumentation, synths, and tracklist in Dead Pony's IGNORE THIS is unexpected. Even with tracks like "myself," tedious and bleak," the lineup flows seamlessly. The production and mixing strike a perfect balance— not overly polished, but retaining the raw essence. This album exemplifies Dead Pony's complete creative control and marks a promising debut for the band.
IGNORE THIS from Dead Pony is out 5 April via LABEL LAB and is available on all good streaming platforms.
