PONS!

Photo by Michelle LoBianco

I made the fatal mistake of stepping down into a Philly basement to see Pons completely blind, with no prior listening of any kind. If I'd done my research, I would have brought a bottle of water and stretched before they came on. Somewhere along the way, swimming in the swirling sea of limbs, Pons set gave the overwhelming feeling that mine might fall off. I've never seen a live band so exhaustively groovy that it feels almost rude to stop moving mid-song for even a moment. Like Lightning Bolt, Prettiest Eyes, or The Garden, this faux-synthesizer driven, beat-centric outfit is an acquired taste. A taste built around blending a grinding, new wave edge with a more danceable drum and bass feel. Standing back to chase the strands of words Pons pour into the air empties the lungs just as fast as their ballistic drums. Eclectic, elastic, and electric, the one-and-a-half drum kit setup snaps, crackles and pops thru a fistfull of irresistible riffs whenever these guys hit the stage. Paired with razor-sharp guitar, Pons are unstoppable. The band has grooves to possess two-steppers, line dancers, and moshers of all kinds, very much by design. Pons goal seems to be to leave you feeling like a wind-up toy who's been cranked one too many times, and they do it well. In short, go to a Pons show and get your steps in thirty-three and one-third times over.

https://keeperrecords.bandcamp.com/album/intellect-kr-014

Pons Have a gnarly EP titled "intellect" out now via Keeper Records, fit for lovers of noisy, crazy, post-something. They can also be found on instagram as @pons_the_band if you'd like to see more cool picures of them, or when and where the next Pons show near you may be.