Review | Dead Pony – IGNORE THIS

Label: LAB Records

By Emily Malia

Try your best to ignore Dead Pony’s debut album… we dare you.

In a world of information overload with a fear of being lost in the crowd, Scottish rock band Dead Pony have had enough of being ignored; with their unforgettable debut album, they’re daring you to try.

Across 16 tracks ‘IGNORE THIS’ gives you no option but to pay attention. With its homegrown and self-produced songs it’s the ideal combination of progressive and classic.

The album begins with the playful introduction ‘the antagonist is ignorance,’ a short track full of sarcasm that sets the tone for the rest of the record, as one that isn’t afraid to poke fun, all while making a statement.

It feels as though Dead Pony are a reminder of the mid-west emo and new metal moments from the 00’s in the track  ‘IGNORE THIS’ and are giving the scene its well deserved comeback. The song comes crashing in with a thrashing guitar and determination as Anna Shields sings ‘don’t try stop us’ with powerful american-esc vocals, fighting to be heard.

Then you’re surprised with the catchy melodies of ‘AWOL’ paired with electronic sounds that are reminiscent of The Prodigy. It’s a track that defies all genres and demonstrates the fun they’ve had experimenting with sounds and samples.

Dead Pony strips it back for the acoustic track ‘myself,’ with Elliot Smith-esque male vocals quickly disrupted with distorting electronic effects and gut-wrenching screaming.This, paired with its repetitive lyrics feels like a stream of consciousness and reminds you that just when you thought you knew who this band were, they will subvert your expectations once again. 

‘MANA’, a personal favourite, is the song that allows the album to truly come alive, with an attitude in both its instrumentation and lyricism that feels almost like a riot song. Confessional lines like ‘I don’t like the way I look’ and ‘I don’t fight, I run away’ are self aware and full of cynicism, taking you on a courageous journey to self acceptance that we hear later on in songs like ‘RAINBOWS’.

Listening to this, it feels like lead singer Anna has come out of the other side fighting for a good time. As she sings “for the first time in my life i’m having fun” it shows a sense of bold disobedience to no longer being self deprecating and hiding who you are.

The album ends with a satirical turn of events in ‘Motor City Mad Man’. The ‘mad man’s’ alter ego and character that has been created further reinforces the sheer creativity of the group, harbouring no fear to trial out whatever they think is interesting.

Luckily, it seems to work in their favour because, despite the messiness of the album, it’s evident that they know exactly who they are: a band you simply can’t ignore.