New Young Pony Club: New Young Pony Club

New rave really isn’t as striking as its prefix suggests. Not so much a revolution as a refinement, the movement as of yet is at most merely the more moneyed and sassy little sister to dance-punk. Still, after all the high-hat and anxiety, it is rather refreshing to hear affinities moving forward. With their self-titled EP, New Young Pony Club continue to define the sound of this emerging scene. Centered on the Intel advertisement theme “Ice Cream”, the work takes on a much more salacious tone than commonly associated with microprocessors. The song is maddeningly catchy, easily teasing out its come-hither verse and chorus over a series of three remixes. Furthering that theme, “Get Dancey” entices listeners to “let your girlfriend do what your boyfriend can’t”, while “Descend” is a remix unto itself. Throughout, frontwoman Tahita Bulmer is as snotty as she is sexy, her sneering drawl at times invoking a less-breathy Debbie Harry. Such brash sensuality and unabashed hedonism is engaging enough at first, but might be difficult to sustain over a full album without veering into unintended parody. Still, there is enough energy and playfulness at work here to suggest the band isn’t about to be corralled by stylistic limitations.