After 10 years together as a band, years of refinement, 12 national tours and 3 international showcases, Bad Pony are ready to share their debut album, 'Forever Up & Coming', with the world.
Three years in the making, this ten-track album traverses themes of love, loss, addiction, triumph and community.It's a indie-pop-rock gem that is polished, explorative and filled with genuine artistry reminiscent of Foals, The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club, Gang Of Youths, and Cage The Elephant.
"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," Bad Pony says.
"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 ten 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 'f... it, let's just wear it!' The title of the album is 'Forever Up & Coming'."
Here, frontman-drummer Jarred Young shares a story about each song that features in 'Forever Up & Coming'.
Back To Basics
I had been listening to a lot of Frightened Rabbit when I was writing this one and was in a pretty rough place.Everything at that point in time felt really difficult and painful and the late Scott Hutchison had this beautiful way of delivering pain with candour, frankness and tongue-in-cheek, and I wanted to deliver it in a similar way.
Hand Me Down
'Hand Me Down' was written so long ago I don't remember when or where. It's been in our live set for five years or so and I love playing it – it's such a cathartic release.This was the only tune we partially tracked not at our home studios (drums and vox at Studios 301 Sydney).
Catapults
This contentious little ear worm nearly didn't make the album. This song took many shapes and forms before it ended up the way it did. We workshopped it, cut and changed sections and it wasn't until Sam messed around with guitar tones and overdub parts that it felt right.Unsure
This might be my favourite tune off the album. I had been gorging myself on Jeff Lynne and ELO and that really informed the drum production and string arrangements. We recorded the bulk of this in 2018 at a makeshift studio we set up in a little farm cottage in Pokolbin, NSW.Every Weekend
This is a fun Foo Fighters/ QOTSA-inspired yelly-rock tune about my high school best bud who had a rotten substance abuse problem. This one also nearly didn't make the cut, but Sam and I spent a day throwing all the ideas at it we could and the second verse is what tipped it over the edge for us.Wonderland
My favourite to play live. Mostly because Mark sings the chorus and he has the voice of a rock & roll angel. If you listen REALLY carefully you can hear Sam and I screaming along to the whacky dissonant guitar solo.
Chant
I loved writing these guitar parts, it's such a fun one to play. I based the riff off the chant you hear at the beginning. I recorded a group of Christian worshippers in Vietnam chanting and then tweaked it so the rhythm was more interesting.Monster
My inner nerd came out in this one. As a drummer, I grew up listening to lots of odd-time signature music. It really interested me and I love when odd-time is being used and you don't even notice it (a la 'Jive Talkin'' by The Bee Gees or 'Words In The Water' by Thrice).That's what I tried to do with this one. My partner Katie had also just bought a piano, so I REALLY wanted to use it.
You're Garbage
Some scumbags broke into my house after I loaned them my car, so I was quite angry about it. A lot of influences came into this one.I had been recording with Tyler, a mad MC when I lived on Russell Island in Queensland. I had done some vocal sessions with him and really picked apart flow and syllable placement and delivery of his raps. When I got to writing the bridge of YG, I thought I'd spit some bars and see how I went.
Heads
This has IDLES written all over it. I love that band and I love how outspoken they are about social issues. So this is my heavy and violent anti-patriarchy tune. The descent into darkness is complete.Bad Pony play Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle) 24 February, Botany Bay Hotel (Sydney) 25 February and North Wollongong Hotel 26 February.
