ALBUM REVIEW: World To Me – Pit Pony
Screaming out of the North East with adrenaline fuelled fuzz rock and a caustic attitude that can be credited to their Tyneside surroundings, PIT PONY have come out all guns blazing on their debut album World To Me. Their first new music since 2020, the band are armed to the teeth and chomping at the bit to unleash it upon the world. This is a loud, boisterous and gritty collection of songs that soundtrack singer Jackie Purver’s tales of political ineptitude, mental health, motherhood, failed relationships and so much more. Although the album explores many aspects of the human condition in turbulent times, World To Me is also deeply intimate and personal. With a strong focus on processing the experiences that they’ve been through, PIT PONY speak to all of us in a beautiful hard-hitting way.
Brimming with a punk and grunge attitude, World To Me is gritty, sardonic and passionately observant of the pitfalls and all round awfulness of the island that we call home. Offering up a hefty dose of cathartic angst to all those who will listen, PIT PONY waste no time in bringing some signature Northern pragmatism to the current situations that we are all facing. World To Me combines the infamous, riotous and raw attitudes of 1970s UK punk with the melodic leanings of Seattle grunge all wrapped up in a rough round the edges, salt of the earth rock ‘n’ roll package. Whilst the subject matter tackles identity, anxiety and similar emotions, in a way it is refreshing to have the pandemic subtly in the background.
Whilst many musicians have used the pandemic as a focal point, PIT PONY have preferred to shift the perspective by looking at the confusing and fearful experience we all had when we didn’t know what was coming next. This comes with a refreshing honesty about how hard it can be to reach out and accept help when everything seems to be stacked up against you. In many ways, World To Me feels more like an audible poetic journal than album, capturing a moment in time which is beautifully articulated with a level-headed approach and powerfully delivered with Purver’s distinct accent, which as a result gives the album an innate authenticity.
Behind Purver’s instinctively emotive lyrics is a vast array of musical elements from across the rock spectrum. Punk and grunge effortlessly fuse with adrenaline fuzz-filled rock and catchy indie melodies, creating a bespoke atmosphere of melancholy, frustration, angst and anger, accompanied by a cynical kind of humour. There is no doubt you’ll be stomping your foot around your bedroom imaging yourself crushing the skulls of all those who have done you wrong under your boot. It’s not all action and excitement, World To Me’s moments of vulnerability come in the form of the title track and Best Is Yet, where sombre chord progressions carry soft, sorrowful vocal melodies that tug at the heart. Both songs slowly build the atmospheres and finish off with an anthemic final flourish.
Throughout the album PIT PONY demonstrate an unhindered, instinctive and authentic songwriting style. Bringing riffs and atmospherics together with a wealth of passion and emphatic expression. Tide Of Doubt brings the album in with a punky drum groove and abrasive power chords, clearly setting the attitude of the record from the get go. Sinking shows the band’s indie influences with a jangly chord progression and juxtaposed flowery atmospheres. See By Me is an all out groove-laden rock song with a catchy bass riff and funky drum rhythm, as is Cold before it, which launches into all out punk rager. Album closer Profit is easily the gem though, consolidating all the heartache we’ve felt politically the last few years by channelling the despair of being continuously let down by the only people that could help us.
PIT PONY have given us a viscerally amped up account of the human experience over the last few years. World To Me is an album of brutal honesty and eloquent pragmatism, an exciting debut that demonstrates a band that isn’t afraid to push the boundaries and incorporate a variety of influences to create a humbling, realistic and authentic musical journey of anxiousness and angst.
Rating: 8/10
World To Me is set for release on July 1st via Clue Records.
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