Unsigned Act Of The Week: Pony And Trap

Pony and Trap’s debut EP ’Time To Engage’ – out now – can be summed up in one word: engaging. That’s a good start – a duo who deliver exactly what they promise on the tin. The EP opens with the title track, which pairs Tom’s simplistic but carefully controlled guitar melody with Sally’s confident and assured vocal that brings artists like The Kills to mind.

Given the 50:50 gender split of Pony and Trap it would be easy to draw parallels between them and The White Stripes, but this does Sally a disservice; she isn’t a quiet, shy Meg White but instead she’s a vivacious female that I imagine has brilliant stage presence. ‘KKKQUE’ is the second track on the EP and it is a catchy little number that has your foot jumping even on the first listen through. The chorus races then lessens in pace during the verses, with the disciplined melody never seeming to drown out Sally’s singing.

Lyrically, ‘John Green’ is my favourite track. “His name is John Green / but he’s nameless in society / always alone and lacking sobriety”; apparently the track bears no reference to the popular American author but nonetheless it’s him I imagine moping around town, as Sally narrates his seemingly tragic existence. The EP concludes with ‘Coming Over’, which is somewhat heavier in sound, and the sense of urgency in the track reminds me of English rockers Band of Skulls. Simplistic rhetoric “Am I coming over too flirty / am I coming over too soon?” means you can sing along almost immediately, or at the very least bop in time to this frantic track.

It’s clear that Pony and Trap are a team – a team that have provided us with four fantastic melodies to get out teeth into. My only criticism? Exactly that: that they’ve only provided us with four tracks. But I’m not worried – with an assured and confident debut in ‘Time To Engage’, I’m sure they’ll be back for Round 2 before we know it.

‘Time To Engage’ is out now via Pony And Trap Recordings, with the band are currently working on an album scheduled for a Spring 2015 release – can’t wait!

 

Beth Kirkbride

 

Beth Kirkbride

Beth Kirkbride

I'm Beth Kirkbride and I came out of the womb with a pen in my hand. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I'm currently studying for my A Levels [English Lit, English Language, History] with the aspiration of reading English Literature at Uni. Easily entertained, I like live music, the internet, eating and sleeping.
Beth Kirkbride

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About Beth Kirkbride
I'm Beth Kirkbride and I came out of the womb with a pen in my hand. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I'm currently studying for my A Levels [English Lit, English Language, History] with the aspiration of reading English Literature at Uni. Easily entertained, I like live music, the internet, eating and sleeping.