NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB // THE OPTIMIST
Two sentences I never thought I’d be saying, “Have you heard the new New Young Pony Club record? It’s rad!” Okay, so I can imagine myself saying the first sentence, but not followed by the second. I’ve never been a fan of NYPC. When their debut album, Fantastic Playroom, was all the rage of 2k7, I was referring to them as “that awful band I hate” (to be fair, this is not a distinction only reserved for NYPC–there are many awful bands I hate out there). I have, however, always really wanted to like them. At their core, they are a new wave revival band; minimal dance punk beats, icy detached vox, synth hooks and guitar hooks galore. It all looks real appealing to me on paper. But every time I sat down to give their record a listen, I found that the ironic smirk they wore got old fast, and that the songs themselves were not strong enough to keep me from hitting skip.
I begin with an explanation of my distaste for the first NYCP full length only to point out my love for their new album. On their second record, The Optimist, NYCP show themselves to be the band I always hoped they would be. Let’s start with my favorite single from the new record, Chaos.
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