New Young Pony Club (NYPC) is a four-piece electro band from London consisting of Tahita Bulmer (vocals), Andy Spence (guitar), Igor Volk (bass) Lou Hayter (keyboards) and Sarah Jones (drums). Partly inspired by LCD Soundsystem and a chance meeting of like-minded band members intent on establishing something potent, Andy and Tahita formed NYPC in 2005.

Forget everything you thought you knew about New Young Pony Club, because on their second album it’s all changed. If 2007’s critically acclaimed, Mercury Music Prize nominated ‘Fantastic Playroom’ was the culmination of the hybrid disco sound they pioneered, THE OPTIMIST heralds the beginning of a brave new future for the band. From the moment the band released their debut 7″ in 2005, their blending of dark disco, pop punk and anthemic new wave found itself swept up in the cult of ‘New Rave’. Despite the fact NYPC quickly became one of the key figures in the movement, something was amiss. “We realised that actually we’re outsiders,” admits singer Ty Bulmer. “‘Disco Punk’ came to this country from the fringes of New York and it felt like an outsider’s scene. We were so passionate about it, but soon it became glossy and banal. We stepped back and thought ‘We don’t want to be part of this world’.”

So the creative nucleus of Ty and Andy Spence moved away from the flashing lights of LDN and instead looked inside themselves to locate their next step. “I do remember making certain guidelines for this album like: no four on the floor, no cowbell and vocally no ’sexy talk’ or monotone vocal,” jokes Andy. But musically they were venturing into uncharted territory. The turning point came with the album’s title track; a swarthy, menacing number that pushed the band completely out of their comfort zone.

“It was a key moment that took us by surprise,” says Andy. “It was one of the first instances where we abandoned what had come before. Ty came in with the vocals and bass line. I played it on a guitar that we’d never used before and it created this whole new extreme and strange sound. But we were so pleased with the results.” This new lease of creative freedom opened the band up to explore more experimental sides of themselves. Lyrically too, the glamorous themes dealt with on ‘Fantastic Playroom’ were left behind. “The last album was about a particular persona,” says Ty. “And it was my sexy, party animal, idealised self. Sometimes I am that person, but in the wake of a 10 year relationship ending I felt it was important to be a bit more honest.” So the album THE OPTIMIST delves into psychological black holes with brutal clarity. “The last album had an intellectual depth but not an emotional one,” she adds. “I played it to my friend and he said ‘it makes the first sound like a bunch of nursery rhymes’!” Indeed the new album captures the band at their most extreme. There they are fame-fatigued (’Dolls’), hopeful on the tightrope of despair (’Monochrome’) and gleefully moving on (’Lost A Girl’).

Self-produced and more importantly self-funded and self-released, THE OPTIMIST is the sound of a band taking full control of their present and future, circumnavigating their own way. It’s an assured, adventurous next step for New Young Pony Club. THE OPTIMIST is released on The Numbers label on March 15, 2010.

A deep exhale of Hammond, a flash of bass guitar, a punk style female vocal and ‘Lost A Girl’ makes its distinctive entrance to open the album. ‘Chaos’ ups the adventure stakes with its meandering electronic opening before a talking pace Ty vocal communicates a message of mediocre desires, magnified by backing vocals and a powerful melody. An extended dark bass guitar strum, clattering drums and messed up Hammond introduce ‘The Optimist.’  It’s a heady mix of dark and light that builds momentum as it picks up backing vocals and a rush of instruments like nails to a powerful magnet. The end result is a song that is both epic and apocalyptic.

‘Stone’ is a more reflective piece with simpler instrumental backdrop which includes a hammond doing cartwheels note-wise. ‘Before The Light’ is another darker, reflective piece and a standout here. ‘OH Cherie’ reminds me of Joy Division in the rhythm section. The song ambles along punctuated by keyboard blips, subtle guitar riffs and a detached vocal, then builds sounds levels just before it closes. I can’t help feeling that this could have been more dramatic… ‘Rapture’ has one of the best sets of lyrics (”You’re big on the outside, but small on the inside”) and potential to be the best song here but doesn’t quite make it. ‘Architect Of Love’ closes the album with vocals dominating, but again doesn’t live up to its initial promise.

The introduction to this review describes a band looking to distinguish itself and avoid ‘typrecasting’, and to a  degree I think the band has succeeded. But I also feel that they have not hammered the message home hard enough; the dark songs are not dark enough, the lighter pop songs lack the hooks so necessary to drive songs hard up the charts. By comparison, Metric and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who have recently produced similar material, are totally convincing by not holding back. One thing I am sure of is the band has embarked on a new musical journey which is interesting, but has still a distance to travel to finally reach its destination.

3/5