Jetstream Pony — Jetstream Pony (May 22, 2020)  ↵    Noise pop group guided by the airy reflections of singer Beth Arzy ((Trembling Blue Stars/The Luxembourg Signal/Lightning in a Twilight Hour/Aberdeen). Shaun Charman (The Wedding Present/The Popguns/The Fireworks)
Location: Brighton, Croydon, UK
Styles: Alternative/Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Shoegaze
Album release: 22 May 2020
Vinyl Release Date: 03 July 2020
Record Label: Shelflife Records/Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten
Duration:     41:35
Tracks:
01. It’s Fine   3:56
02. I Close My Eyes   2:27
03. Mitte   4:02
04. Worthless   3:44
05. I Think I’m Ready to Let You Go   3:15
06. Trapper in Amber   4:03
07. Gone to Ground   4:08
08. Half an Idea   3:41
09. The Very Eyes of Night   3:11
10. Outside   2:52
11. Spoke Too Soon   3:13
Personnel: 
↵    Beth Arzy: Vocals, Keyboards, Tambourine 
↵    Shaun Charman: Guitar, Drums, Backing Vocals, Bass (8) 
↵    Kerry Boettcher: Bass, Vocals (8)
↵    Sara Boyle: Drums
Credits:
↵    Carol Seatory: Artwork
↵    Jon Chaikin: Mastered (Nonstop Sound)
↵    Kerry Kelekovich: Mixed (Kouderay.com)
↵    Recorded at: Church Road Recording Co.
↵    Recorded at: Sunny Studios, Hove, East Sussex, UK  AllMusic Review by Marcy Donelson ⌊ Score: ★★★½ ⌋ 
♦ℜ♥   An alumna of indie pop groups dating back to the ‘90s that span the innocent, bittersweet pop of Sarah Records, bands with noisier shoegaze tendencies, and groups like the Luxembourg Signal that meshed these inclinations, Beth Arzy formed Jetstream Pony with the Wedding Present’s Shaun Charman circa 2017. After a handful of well~received short~form releases that took on a bouncier demeanor, an expanded four~piece version of Jetstream Pony lean into lusher, dreamier textures and a more reflective energy level on their eponymous full~length debut. It’s an approach that places active drums and ringing guitar hooks in a cloudy, harmonic haze surrounding Arzy’s still sweet, wistful melodies. The opening track, “It’s Fine,” is an album highlight and prime example that dives right into layered, sustained guitar atmospheres replete with delay, as lyrics both confront and reassure. The album’s frayed nerves and rocky relationships continue on songs including “I Close My Eyes” and “I Think I’m Ready to Let You Go,” which features slightly more distorted timbres. Later, “Half an Idea” takes that a step further, bordering on dark, grungy territory without leaving the noise pop realm. The records wraps with “Spoke Too Soon,” a catchy, lyrically insecure entry that leaves statuses up in the air. (The final line is “Can never find the words.”)
♦ℜ♥   Despite some shifts in the guitar~tone spectrum, there’s a bit of a sameyness to the songs on Jetstream Pony, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when immersed in its head~bobbing dissatisfaction. In the end, the debut lives up to the status of the names involved, and fans of any of Arzy’s prior projects would do well to tune in. — AMGBandcamp: https://jetstreampony.bandcamp.com/album/jetstream-pony
FB: https://www.facebook.com/jetstreamponyband
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jetstream_pony