Eponyme
Freaksville, 2019
8/10
A sophomore album inspired by the French ‘60s and that even brings in some shoegaze and punk energy, the Belgian outfit Josy & Pony offer us 9 tunes of varied fun, where there’s no shortage of ear candy to be found.
After the quick, odd intro “Hell Horse City”, “Secte équestre” follows with a hypnotic lo-fi pop-rock delivery where the melodies are certainly not in short supply.
In the middle, “Sullivan” moves with a spunky indie-rock presence as plenty of syrupy sweet hooks are in attendance, while “Bye Bye Ecurie (Interlude)” offers a darker mood with some droning ambience that shows much diversity.
Deeper into the record, “Indécent Pur-Sang”, the album highlight, yields processed vocals and an adventurous approach that’s a bit grittier in scope, and “Deux Chevaux Mustang” exits the listen jangly, spacey and full of busy instrumentation that’s part punk, part dance and entirely contagious.
Spearheaded by Josette Ponette and with her band The Poneymen helping flesh out the tunes, while the music is often jubilant, carefree and flowing with gloriousness, the subject matter tackles women’s issues, politics, and religion (although you’d have to be fluent in French to understand it). Thankfully, Josy & Pony’s formula is universally enjoyable, regardless of what language you speak.
Travels well with: Pirato Ketchup- That’s Right; Bob Log III- School Bus