PONY Turn Ding Dongs Into a Sugar-Rush Pressure Cooker

In their latest live run from Ding Dongs, the Toronto band makes grunge-pop feel elastic, funny, and just bruised enough to sting

I keep coming back to how well PONY balance sweetness and bite. They lean into fuzzy guitars, and bright melodies that land like confetti with a bruise underneath, and that tension carries straight into the Ding Dongs videos. The performances of “Cheapskate,” “Kick me out,” “Grandma in Space,” “Where’s My Pony?” and “Pony” feel like the sound of a band refusing to sand off its oddball edges for the sake of impact!

PONY understand that a hook can be bright without being harmless. The songs already arrive with sharp contours, but the live setting seems to give them more snap and a little more chaos, which is exactly where this band sounds happiest. I hear a group with a real pop instinct, and one that never lets go of the rougher grain that makes the songs feel alive.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out PONY on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist