‘One’ is a collection of three songs about love, regret, and impermanence by South African artist Pony Jones. The collection of songs made me feel supported in my gloomy mood and soundtracked a laid back afternoon on a dreary spring weekday.
The subtly uplifting and hazy alternative pop sound that waves like a red thread throughout ‘One’ is perfectly embodied on opening track ‘Burn Out’. Though a rather depressing title, the song is a rather catchy and light-hearted alt-synth pop track with soft vocals and a colourful soundscape. The three songs on ‘One’ play with influences taken from indie, rock and pop, and layer soulful vocals over hazy dream pop soundscapes.
‘Paris’ is a romantic rendition and spirited, comforting dream pop song and potentially my favourite of the EP! I hear hints of The National and The War On Drugs and enjoy the artist’s soft ethereal compositions. Pony Jones is the solo project of songwriter PJ Maas, and if I wouldn’t have been told this was a solo project I would’ve been convinced this is the project of a full band.
On ‘And Only’ we hear more of his voluptuous sound and warm sound mixes, sounding that bit hazier and a tad less light-hearted, the song perfectly balances the other two tracks on this EP. Teaming up with producer and manager Jaco Naudé, the duo has been writing and recording together since 2015 on various projects. Their latest release is made from start to finish in their home studio in Pretoria. A dream team clearly knowing well what it is they would like to share with the world, and ‘One’ has turned me into a fan of Pony Jones.
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