Sydney indie-rock quartet Bad Pony have shared their debut album Forever Up & Coming with us ahead of its official release tomorrow. After a decade of being a band, they are proud to finally deliver the record that was three years in the making.
It may not be a name you’re familiar with yet, but Bad Pony have successfully completed 12 national tours and three international showcases among other feats in their time. Forever Up & Coming is a facetious commentary on the label of an emerging band despite cutting their teeth for 10 years in the live arena with some impressive achievements.
“The album is a spectrum of all types of music we love and it’s designed to take the listener on a descent into darkness,” the band explains. “We want there to be something for everyone on it. Thematically it covers some ground about loss, depression, triumph, addiction, religion, community, but I think most of all love.
We’ve been a band for 10 years and as most artists have had to, we’ve also confronted what ‘success’ means to us and also what it doesn’t. Throughout that time we’ve been consistently described with phrases like ‘on the rise’ or ‘the next to break out’, so we thought ‘fuck it, let’s just wear it!’”
The 10-track project explores substantial themes with a fun and driven approach to their energetic sound. From the strings and acoustic guitars of captivating opener “Back to Basics” to the spacious synths and distorted guitars of chaotic closer “Heads”, the album draws from a variety of influences to create a unique collection of upbeat hooks and dark riffs with grunt.
Singles “Hand Me Down” and “Catapults” shine early in the tracklisting with their infectious melodies, while standouts “Chant” and “Monster” make for gripping deep cuts later in the listen. Big choruses and gritty verses keep the journey interesting as the band sings of digging graves and caving heads in. The lyrics pack as much punch as the music and the streamlined diversity of the record demonstrates their growth under the radar.
To celebrate the release, Bad Pony will be embarking on a national headline tour this month in Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong – the latter three of which are free entry! You can get your tickets to the Melbourne show at Shotkickers on Friday 17th HERE.
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