Pony Up’s stunt casting doesn’t help them pony up.
With Murray Lightburn from The Dears producing, it’s easy to expect good things from Stay Gold, the second full-length from Pony Up. After all, their last single, “The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Is That They Die),” was one of the catchiest things ever to come out of Montreal. Unfortunately, Lightburn’s production is so good that it reveals all of Pony Up’s limitations. After you get past the timidly charming vocals, it’s clear that these ladies aren’t terribly good songwriters or terribly good musicians. The harmonies are forced, as are the lyrics, but worst of all, it seems that Pony Up’s current MO is to slow down. Without the enthusiasm of a high b.p.m. Stay Gold wallows in whiny dirges. The end result is something that sounds like a first-time studio band instead of a group that has been together since 2002.
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