Dead Pony’s 2024 debut album Ignore This gleefully blew the doors off in a kaleidoscope of 2000s nu metal, pop rock and irrepressible energy they translated to stages up and down the country. It was a bold statement from a band that had felt overlooked, or that their home Scottish scene had felt overlooked in the UK at large, and wanted to make something totally undeniable. Well, mission very much accomplished, and the bar was set high for its followup.
Rather than rushing immediately into album 2, Dead Pony instead took their time to hone their craft further onstage, earning a reputation for starting the party wherever they were. That energy is writ large across the six tracks of Eat My Dust!, refining their songwriting chops even further to deliver a raucous set of surefire bangers. ‘What If?’ is a slow burn that asks “what if I’m still not good enough?”, building from its initial melody to a churning metallic groove.
It’s after this false start that Eat My Dust! truly kicks into gear with the dance floor stomp and snaking synth lines of its title track as Shields defiantly declares “let me show you how we run this town”. ‘Freak Like Me’ deploys staccato chords and a Y2K nu metal beat while Dead Pony prove they’re only getting more adept with earworm, singalong hooks. As opening gambits go, it’s one hell of a way to make an impression.
Follow ups ‘Fury’ and ‘Boom!’ are no less anthemic, driving drums underscoring snarling lines like “I am the panther and you are the prey” from the former or examining the decline of a city – whether real or imagined – through the latter. It’s not just Shields’ vocal hooks that sink their teeth in either; Blair Crichton’s production and electronics are grimy when they need to be or a glittery explosion at other times and ensuring they’ll be yelled back in festival fields and venues alike.
For all its polish, Eat My Dust! also doesn’t forget its heavier roots; the guitars have actual bite to them, they deploy screams sparingly and effectively and there’s more than a few moments approaching metalcore breakdowns. It’s a melting pot of pop, nu metal, metalcore and injected with the same feeling the early 2000s bottled without being nostalgia bait. Dead Pony have levelled up yet again.