Monday 8/17: PONY - "WebMD"
Today we share our thoughts on a new song by the Toronto grunge-pop band PONY.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
This week, while Eli is away on vacation, the newsletter will feature contributions from a series of writers we love.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song from the Toronto power-pop band PONY. We’re joined by Fresno, California based culture writer Bineet Kaur. You can read more of Bineet’s work here.
PONY - “WebMD”
Bineet Kaur:
Upon first listen, I picked up on a Hunny-adjacent jittery energy. I love that it’s just as sugary as it is gritty, like shards of glass affixed to a top-40 pop song. As much as I’m drawn to brash punk stuff, sometimes I long for something that’ll beget glee. This song can sate both of these desires. Music with a rugged backing like this often suppresses the vocals, which is disappointing when the singer has zeal and gusto that ought to shine. Not here, though - a nearly impeccable balance has been struck. Resilience and assuredness are prominent themes. It centers on the realization that you’re not obligated to waste time nor energy on someone who isn’t deserving of it, and that being by yourself is more than enough. The track closes with “I don’t want to drown inside of you,” a well-crafted metaphor that demonstrates that sometimes, intimacy can feel more smothering than cozy.
Eric Bennett:
There is a certain breed of pop song that wins me upon first listen. If I were to break it down, it would be pretty simple, verses that keep momentum steadily building, and then a chorus that slams down like the band is beating you over the head with a vase. Impactful sound and debris shattering around you. This is very often how Charly Bliss or PUP make me feel. PONY’s “WebMD” is a perfect example of this formula, and makes me an instant diehard, scouring through past singles, daydreaming about seeing this live someday. Bandleader and vocalist Sam Bielanski has a similarly vicious and sweet vocal tone as Charly Bliss’s Eva Hendricks. Bielanski uses that cheery deliver crushing lines like “I crack a smile / It’s the first that I have in a while / It’s just for me.” So often we’re forced to perform emotions for other people’s comfort, and we love to see an artist saying no to that pressure.