Fantastic Playroom

New Young Pony Club dressed post-punk's nervous energy in disco sequins, turning 2007's nu-rave moment into something colder, sexier, and more precise than the scene it belonged to.

"Ice Cream" is the proof, all clipped guitar stabs and Tahita Bulmer's deadpan taunt — "I'll give you something you can't sing along to" — riding a bassline that struts rather than sweats. What keeps the record from being a single with padding is how much menace they wring from restraint; "The Bomb (Original Version)" builds on space and a hi-hat tick instead of a drop, letting the tension do the work. Bulmer sings like she's already bored of your attention, which is exactly why you keep giving it. The whole thing feels engineered for a dark room and a low ceiling, and it never once apologizes for wanting to be danced to.