Cash Pony – Zero Charisma (2015)

Imagine the scene – you’re lying on a tropical beach (perhaps in the Bahamas?), sipping a Pina Colada and getting caught in the sun. And then before you know what’s happening the beach is spinning around like it’s in a tumble dryer, and the ocean is spaghettifying and dancing towards the horizon in wobbly concentric loops. I’d say that’s a rough metaphor for ‘Do You Feel Yucky’, the opener of Cash Pony’s Zero Charisma.

Cash Pony are a wacky California four-piece who dance on the wavy, multi-coloured border between psych and math. Tracks like ‘Mesotheliomapotamia’ are competently constructed and fun math tracks, but Cash Pony really shines when they are at their more experimental. ‘Thousand Layer Curry Dog’, appropriately named, weaves what I can only assume is a genuine sitar into it’s riff – I’ve never heard a math band do it before, and the execution is brilliant. ‘Burnt Umber’ is another thoroughly wacky track with an almost carnival flavour.

While every member of Cash Pony is obviously a highly competent musician, one part that stuck out for me was the fantastically constructed basslines that thud along beneath the guitars, occasionally emerging from the wavy morass of psych riffing to deliver a killer break.

This one’s a definite should-listen for psych fans, but it has a great deal to offer to the average math listener as well.