New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom

To lump New Young Pony Club in with the self-perpetuating ‘new rave’ idea is to do the band a great disservice. First off, they’ve been around for longer than most of the neon kids have been allowed out past nine o’clock at night, and then there’s the fact that ‘Fantastic Playroom’ goes a long way to proving they’re far more discerning than a short-lived 00s ‘scene’ can allow.

Yes, like Klaxons and CSS we’re talking synth-led indie-pop, but unlike their touring partners, ‘Fantastic Playroom’ shows a New Young Pony Club who aren’t stuck in the box marked ‘of its time’. ‘Grey’, ‘Jerk Me’ or ‘The Get Go’ would sit just as easily in Eighties discotheques between Blondie and Visage, as they do on flourescent-drenched 21st Century dancefloors.

Obvious highlights include singles ‘Ice Cream’ (deliciously intense) and ‘The Bomb’ (one hell of a grower), but it’s ‘Hiding On The Staircase’ where New Young Pony Club really come in to their own. On the surface, it’s a tribal-beats infused mish-mash of playful synths and infectious hooks, but on looking (or listening) a little deeper, it’s clear the band aren’t all sunshine and smiles; the lyrics recounting a particularly nasty relationship breakdown.

Nevertheless ‘Fantastic Playroom’ is easily, and most definitely a party album. Thankfully, however, it’s not just one for the Skins generation. This one’s got brains it fully intends on using.