Pony Up

Where are all the girl groups these days? Sure, there are plenty of singer-songwriters and girls in bands (particularly lead singers), but all-girl bands? I can’t think of that many. With the mighty Sleater-Kinney gone, it seems to be left to Electrelane to fly the flag for female-only bands that really kick ass. I may have missed some obvious ones, so let me know, but there just seems to be a general lack.

Which brings me nicely to Pony Up from Montreal. There are four of them and they’re all women. But are they any good? The answer’s yes. Not amazing mind, but decent. They’re about to release their debut album Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes on Laughing Outlaw Records. It’s full of likeable indie-guitar pop tunes, which even if they lack a bit of the killer touch, are certainly worth recommending. There’s nothing remotely difficult about this album, in fact it’s got a bit of a pop sheen which could mean some commercial success if they weren’t on a small indie label. This really is the sort of thing that major record labels should be signing, instead of chasing after carbon copies of already-successful acts. The amount of crap that’s come my way from some majors lately testifies to that – look, we don’t even need one Fratellis, nevermind two. And one band from Dundee is quite enough, especially if they sound like The View. Just look around you. Bands like Pony Up would definitely be the acceptable face of chart indie in a more sensible world.

Download: Pony Up – The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Is That They Die)
Download: Pony Up – The First Waltz

Order Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes.