...With that, I bring you a stream of the first track to be released from the untitled upcoming full-length from the droned-out KC group, and in my opinion it may very well be one of their best yet. I've already listened to it about a dozen times myself. ~ track review by Greg Stitt
There are few active bands in the region that have committed to churning out a respectably sized discography in the shortest amount of time possible as much as the High Diving Ponies. ~ pain pills review by Greg Stitt
High Diving Ponies return with the 9-song Broken Sunbather released at the tail end of 2010. The record compresses lo-fi fuzz and plainspoken lyrics from an adroit mind into brief, potent rock songs. ~ review of BROKEN SUNBATHER by Pete Dulin
High Diving Ponies combines the distortion and noise of My Bloody Valentine with the powerfully catchy sensibilities of Hum - but that's a quick, cheap and ultimately facile assessment. On its latest, Suspended in Liquid, the Kansas City band sketches a hypnotic background throughout that manages not to sound like just a series of experiments in sonic oddity. ~ suspended in liquid review by nick spacek
show review by greg stitt (riot on the plaza)
interview by brad krohe for the pitch
...it's safe to say the seven-piece band is successful in producing controlled chaos. At a perfectly portioned 24 minutes and 48 seconds, Casino Economy is local shoegaze at its finest. ~ from album review of CASINO ECONOMY in the Pitch.
Casino Economy from Kansas City's High Diving Ponies takes me back to my own musical awakening. It is a record that is drenched in the sweat of the bands that taught me that rock and roll didn't have to sound safe and fun to be good...High Diving Ponies have put together a fine collection of short songs which remind us that not all music is made for pretty people. It's a record that serves the purpose of affirming that not all is well with us, and with the world. But if that's not what you need out of your rock and roll, there are plenty of other records out there for that. ~ from present magazine's review of CASINO ECONOMY.
If The Pixies and My Bloody Valentine double-dated with The Beatles and The Shangri-Las, then a mashup
of them all making out would sound like "Muppets." ~ present magazine
Traditional song craft, melody and structure stand
hand in hand with anarchy and chaos. ~ the tripwire
The song "Muppets" features a slowly evolving guitar riff with a 90's angular, early Built to Spill feel and the fuzzy,
distant vocal melodies familiar to fans of My Bloody Valentine. The stellar pop-gem "I Smell Like Smoke" could be
a Guided By Voices b-side with its addictive lo-fi melody that rises above
punky acoustic guitar strumming ~ the rathaus
