Pony Up - 'Make Love To The Judges With Your Eyes' (Laughing Outlaw) Released 17/09/07

It appears that after much neglect, ponies are now in as the animal to name your band after. Following New Young Pony Club, come Canada’s Pony Up. Hailing from Montreal, Pony Up clearly have some impressive weight behind them. The all female quartet worked with producers Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire) and Brian Paulson (Beck) to craft their debut full length album, and 'Make Love To The Judges To Your Eyes' certainly has a sleek well oiled feel to it. The group, who apparently formed on New Year’s Eve 2002, have already started to make waves in their homeland and this release originally came out there last year, yet the overall sound that Pony Up trade in is such that it’s unlikely to seem dated.

Much like LA trio The Like, Pony Up’s strength is in producing a potted history of swoonsome indie girl pop, with acts ranging from Belly to the Sundays being cross checked. While there is plenty of cynicism present and correct there’s also a string of gently pleasing material, built around the band’s lush harmonies, that starts with the seductive sway of ‘Dance For Me’, on which co vocalist/keyboardist Laura Willis sighs “dance for me, I like to watch” over a placid backing. It would take a heart of pure steel not to fall for the clipped, radio friendly caviar pop charms of ‘Possible Harm’ or the breezy swing of ‘Only Feelgood’, which is so uplifting a track that Gigwise will forgive the presence of an accordion on it.

At their best, Pony Up’s vocal harmonies are sublime, calling to mind an all girl Beach Boys sharing a night out with the dark indie of the Breeders. They’re able to raise the tempo too, such as on ‘Pastime Endeavour’, guitarist/vocalist Sarah Moundroukas showing some bite by snapping “keep my mouth shut, this secret’s well kept”.

But at times Pony Up’s music is too much a girls slumber party when it needs to be a wild night out. The likes of  ‘What’s Free Is Yours’ are far too lightweight to leave an impression, and the country influenced swing of  ‘The Best Offence’ is so laid back it is almost stationary. Similarly, the languid ’Ships’ is so memorable that Gigwise has listened to it umpteen times this week, yet still cannot remember how the tune goes.  It’s frustrating but although at times the chiming guitars and plink plonk keyboards are  nice but nothing more and that leaves the album as a whole lacking any real depth.  

Pony Up have potential and a few decent tunes, but while this isn’t a bad album it’s not a particularly interesting one either, lacking enough innovation to stand out. These ponies perhaps need more time in the stables before they’re ready to compete