IGNORE THIS was such a comprehensive level-set for Dead Pony that it could almost make it difficult to see where to go next. It was basically a ground-up reinvention for them, a debut emphasising flexibility and vivacity with no obvious direction forward. Options were certainly opened up, but so much of the subsequent campaign and touring schedule felt dedicated to affirming how sick Dead Pony are. Sets would typically comprise the same ream of bangers, with the same kung fu poses from frontwoman Anna Shields at the same interval, and the same baseline level of satisfaction afterwards.
It’s something that’s been run into a number of times with this current class of alt-rock band—until there’s something new and tangible to dig into, they’re ricocheting in one moment, exciting but ultimately confined. You’d think that wouldn’t be true of Dead Pony, though, so keen to prove themselves as they are. Then again, a lot of IGNORE THIS’ more harebrained ideas were restricted to interludes, which ultimately let to dead ends. Naturally, then, as an EP, Eat My Dust! is a far more strimmed, streamlined experience, incrementally moving forward compared to peers like Nova Twins or Kid Kapichi.
It’s a less exceptional step, at the same time as Dead Pony’s inherent loudness and outgoing presentation makes it difficult to drift away from. Their usual condensed alt-rock now comes with fringes of nu-metal, reining in the breadth of giddy exploration while leaving the outcome intact. In other words, this sure does sound like Dead Pony, only with the fat and gristle excised with brutal accuracy. It’s still a great deal of fun, too, for all the same reasons as last time.
Top of that list is how much the confidence and attitude flows out of Shields on songs like Freak Like Me and Fury. It’s a clean carryover from IGNORE THIS, almost to a fault in the former’s case with how similar to RAINBOWS it feels, in both sentiment and cadence of delivery. Still, stapling on a big alt-metal chorus is a reliable fix, which Eat My Dust! rarely shies away from. Magnified by a shorter, tighter package, what’s generally commonplace among Dead Pony’s work is allowed to pop that bit more. The title track and Fury could sit among the band’s strongest for it, crystallised by Shields’ punch and vim.
As a result, while the much-lauded nu-metal angle is present, it isn’t as make-or-break as you might expect. Outside of the buzzy hammering and sole screamed patch on What If (the intro track that might as well be a remnant of IGNORE THIS’ interludes), it’s neatly woven into Dead Pony’s typical cloth, and thus has less of its own weight. The exceptions are Boom! and Fury; if Dead Pony wished to parlay their impenetrable production into something heavier and groove-driven, these are good bits of evidence for it working. Beyond that…well, it’s only prominent in bits and pieces, but it leaves a good impact on the whole. The EP is quick and kinetic for it, and is allowed to enjoy both low-end slam and a planet-sized melody with equal amounts of ease.
The fact that each of these six songs packs in a standout moment (often a great one, at that) really does say it all. Dead Pony are continue to stand tall and stalwart, and Eat My Dust! exemplifies how there’s still plenty of mileage in that. Importantly, too, it doesn’t feel like a half-step or too little, too late. It’s sensible progression that’s as bold, brash and bustling as ever; nothing is lost in the refocusing. And for a band like Dead Pony—arguably best known for nonstop nationwide jaunts, anywhere and everywhere that’ll have them—anything to kick them back into gear can only be a good thing. Expect a new era that’s just as buzzing as the last.
For fans of: Nova Twins, Vukovi, Kid Kapichi
‘Eat My Dust!’ by Dead Pony is released on 15th May.
Words by Luke Nuttall
