RAZORCAKE - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
Simple thick guitared punk with a bit of Richard Hell in the vocals; could easily have come out of New York in the late ‘70’s. It would have been a little too poppy to have hit the Killed by Death lists, but people would still be listening to it now. Solid.
ROCKTOBER - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
To say this rocks insults the word rock. This rocks with a capitol OCK!
GARBAGE DUMP - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
Wow, THE PONYS A-side made me fall down my desk. Hell, the opening chords and vibe seem taken out of ANTiSEEN's "EP Royalty" with that squealing loud Fenderish guitar fuzz... when the vocals come in you will lose the same sense of destruction and you'll be captured in a very ipnotic raw punk vibe, like THE STOOGES meets THE GORIES. Flipping the side, the atmosphere change: fuzz's gone in favour of a semi-acoustic raw guitar riffing and a more standard 77 alike song structure, always thrown back into the blues by the strange drum upbeat. They also add an organ here. Trippy song, really. They will have an album out on IN THE RED shortly, so remember I advised you, probably they'll become the next lo-fi weirdo sensation.
CRIME WAVE MAGAZINE - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
This is The Ponys' second 7" release, and on Big Neck Records. This Chicago band blasts through the A-side with “Wicked City”, with it’s fuzzed out guitars is a great opener. On the B-side they introduce us to their “Little Friends” which is the standout here. With the synth solo and the catchy chorus I was hooked, great song.
HORIZONTAL ACTION - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
The first record from the PONYS turns out to be their second and it still melts your heart and burns your brain all on one puck. "Wicked City" is an ode to Chicago, it's new anthem, and an instant classic you'll be hearing on the radio in twenty years when it's finally appreciated. "Little Friends" is the ultimate song about coming home to your excited pets, but with all the vibrations and keyboard sensations that will keep the PONYS yards above their contemporaries. Everything about the songwriting is original, and unsoiled by the evil music industry and all of it's lecherous tentacles. So virginal and so irresistible, it's essential. Look for their new records on In The Red in the coming days, and rest easy knowing that rock-n-roll in Chicago is alive and well.
ROCK-N-ROLL PURGATORY - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
These guys play catchy mid tempo 70's inspired punk rock.
CYCLOPS ZINE - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
Chicago's the Ponys have just released their latest, "Wicked City" 7 inch, on Big Neck Records. The Ponys feature ex-memebers of the Guilty Pleasures. To approximate their sound, throw together the Cure, some old-school punk, the Clone Defects and fuzzed-up guitar. Side A has the title track, "Wicked City." That nasty riff is permanently burned in my brain. It's a cool song with a great little chorus. This is on the rockin' side of what the Ponys do. I tell ya though, I love that riff.Side B contains "Little Friends." On this song, I can definitely see the Cure comparisons. It reminds me of a Cure song if they were raised on the tough streets of Chicago and rocked. That synth solo reminds me of my misspent youth. The Ponys are a great up and coming band and this is a great single. File between the Clone Defects and the Lost Sound.
SLEAZEGRINDER.COM - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
A filthy, fuzz-worm guitar winds it's way through the sleazy garage punk of the Ponys' ultra-mega a-side, "Wicked City". Not only have I been there, I am streetwalkin' with this Chi-town power trio right now, and it's a hot night in the neon ghetto, brother. "Little Friends" adds a little Cramps psychosis and Calliope (?) organ to the punk stripper grind, but keeps from getting it's threads too wrinkled. Swank. Any band that I might compare these cats to are either so hopelessly obscure you'd never get it (Wreck n' the Crew, anyone?), or probably only exist in my head, so lemme just say, the Ponys fuckin' rock, Jack. They've got a CBGB's 1975, black-eyed, needle glam cool to 'em, except they just happen to be reasonably young, reasonably good looking, and in the exact right place at the right time, so instead of puking behind dumpsters for a living they way bands like this used to do, they're gonna go ahead and make a million fuckin' dollars one swanky single at a time. Then they'll start puking behind dumpsters, but it'll just seem charming at that point. Listen, you wanna be first or last to ride the Ponys? Thought so. So go get it.
SMASHING TRANSISTORS - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
I had a CD-R copy of this single for over a year. If it came out then it would've definitely made the Top 5 best singles of 2002. Well, it's 2003 and it's now available to the general public and it will make my top 5 of this year (actually, the Ponys will probably find themselves in a tie with themselves cuz their single on Contaminated will be making the year end high rankings as well). The b-side's "Little Friends" alone is enough to place it there for it's WIRE "154"-isms being drenched in a tube amp pond and it's varnished with LSD carnival organ fizz.
MAXIMUM ROCK-N-ROLL - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
2 tracks of straight up simple mid tempo raw rock-n-roll from this Midwestern three piece. "Wicked City" has a healthy dose of distortion (though no nearly as most of the releases on Big Neck Records) and is a catchy number, though a bit long-winded and plodding I thought. The flip "Little Friends" is the winner here, minimal with a hooky ringing guitar sound and a repetitive chorus that will stick with you.
BLANKGENERATION.COM - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
The Ponys' So Sentimental 7", which came out on Contaminated a few months back was fantastic in case you missed it. This second single on Big Neck is shockingly just as great and maybe even better making it the strongest debut and sophomore singles by any band in recent memory. The basics haven't changed much from the first single. The fuzzed-out, high treble guitar sound is still there, the "Cure, but fucked up" references on the vocals still persist, and the production, while similar, has been beefed up a bit. The songwriting is also similar but this new record leans much more towards the pop side of things. These ain't sugar coated pop anthems, but there's no denying that "Wicked City" is a super catchy, massively poppy hit. The ultra repetitive main riff of the song should be enough to make any jaded hipster take notice. I dunno if you're average tough guy garage dude is gonna like these two songs but screw 'em. The Ponys way of channeling the Velvet Underground through one of those old UK bands on the Fast Product label, like early era Mekons, with some serious pop tendencies added along with a flair for the psychedelic, all approached from the mindset of a modern day punk band is much more exciting than what's going on in most of today's garage punkworld. The only modern band they sometimes remind me of, and only very slightly, is Black Lipstick, a name that probably doesn't register on most punk rockers' radar. I'm guessing that most bands you listen to don't sound like The Ponys, so you'd be wise to expand your horizons and pick this record up. They've also just signed to In The Red if that piques your interest and if those demos that are floating around are any indication of what's to come than holy shit, sign me up. Very highly recommended.
BLANKGENERATION.COM - THE PONYS "WICKED CITY " 7" EP
Big Neck Records! They rock…they do…really… Not many labels are out there like BN… So Bart just put out this PONYS 7"…"Wicked City"…Sludgey garage punk rock n roll…it K.I.L.L.S! Fist-shaking, stuffy barroom swingin', whisky-lovin' rock n roll! Side B - "Little Friends" super-catchy rock n roll guitarrrrrrrrr accompanied by an equally catchy keyboard hook…must've played that song a dozen times…sooo good…
