Had Pony Club mastermind Mark Cullen emerged in Sheffield back in the mid-’90s, he could be enjoying success on a par with Babybird, the Longpigs or, if we’re being really optimistic, Pulp. Instead, the glamorous swish and sway of his swoonsome indie-pop remains marooned in a Dublin music scene that doesn’t appreciate it nearly as much as it should.
The group have, in the past, been bigged up by none other than Steven Patrick Morrissey. And why not? Cullen makes short, exceedingly sweet pop songs with plentiful electropop touches and a dark, cynical lyrical underbelly. A familiar formula, certainly, and there are more than a few nods to the aforementioned Pulp and Babybird, as well as similarly-obvious reference points like Suede and Roxy Music, on Post Romantic. Cruel observers might say that, when compared to these luminaries of seedy, deceptively grim glam-pop, it would be very hard for Pony Club to shine. Fine. But wrong.
Post Romantic is reliably melodic from start to finish, and there are a handful of gems that really sparkle. ‘People Need Others’ is a gloomy, heart-rending piano ballad that could, with the addition of a large string section and a few guitar overdubs, slot nicely onto the last quarter of Suede’s classic Dog Man Star. ‘To Tell The Truth’ is a deliciously pessimistic spoken-word confessional delivered over light programmed beats and cheesy synth washes. ‘Anthony’ has a rich, sweeping chorus that would represent the album’s high point were it not for ‘Diplomat’ – a giddily brilliant, hip-shaking pop song.
Instinct suggests Post Romantic is already doomed to become a lost (minor) classic that emerged from the wrong place, at the wrong time. But the fact is that it deserves to see some chart action. Now if only enough people could hear it...