Review: Minimalist Garage Pop Meets Brit-Rock Throwback on Pony Time’s ‘Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True’

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There’s something massively endearing about Pony Time. At once punk and throwback lo-fi Brit-rock, the combination of vocalist, guitarist and bassist Luke Beetham’s vintage Euro-tinged voice and Stacy Peck’s crashing rhythms is both instantly familiar and wholly unique. With the release of their Fleetwood Mac-riffing fourth album Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True, Pony Time isn’t changing their game, and they don’t need to.

The new album kicks off with an instantaneously catchy beat and doesn’t stop, chugging along on a near-danceable train ride of infectiously fuzzy garage-rock. Opening track “Time Tells Me” tells a story of unrequited love via Beetham’s droopy, shuddering vocals and the closer “Stop Talking” screeches the album to a halt with a high-pitched, fast flourish. In between, the duo has sandwiched nine tracks that top out around three minutes a piece. Short and sweet, they flow non-stop into one another, escalating with a shaky ferocity of shredding guitars and lazy, yet driven cymbals.

It’s hard to separate one track as a stand out anthem from any other, as Pony Time has managed to make their songs repetitive without feeling cumbersome. Sure, “Rock and Roll Will Kill You” hits just a little bit harder and “Hank” swings a little lower, but all in all, no one song screams “I’m the best!” and it seems to fit just fine.

The production on this album feels just a hair cleaner than past work – they returned to long time producer Don Farwell at Earwig Studios in Georgetown after their first stabs at recording this album fell short of their own expectations – without ever straying far from the skuzzed-out guitar punk they’ve become quite adored for. Their stripped-down, rhythm-driven punk rock delivers yet again.

(Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True is available digitally via Pony Time’s Bandcamp page. The record will be available on vinyl and CD on March 11th via Ss Records – Sol Re Sol Records. You can preview the album below.)

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