Jetstream Pony

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 Presents 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. Its an approach that places active drums and ringing guitar hooks in a cloudy, harmonic haze surrounding Arzys still sweet, wistful melodies. The opening track, Its 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 albums frayed nerves and rocky relationships continue on songs including I Close My Eyes and I Think Im 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.) Despite some shifts in the guitar-tone spectrum, theres a bit of a sameyness to the songs on Jetstream Pony, but thats 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 Arzys prior projects would do well to tune in. ~ Marcy Donelson