Echo Scale™: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
From Chaos Comes Clarity (Kinda)
For Pony!, Fife’s finest purveyors of pop-punk pandemonium, are back with a recharged version of their 2017 track Heroes and spoiler alert: it rips. This isn’t some lazy remaster for nostalgia points. This is a full-on band evolution with new strings, new blood, and a much better grip on what the hell they’re doing (but not too good, thankfully they’re still delightfully unhinged).
The original Heroes was a snapshot of a band mid-transition a trio becoming a quartet, halfway between DIY charm and chaotic live energy. Fast-forward to 2025, and For Pony! sound like they’ve figured out how to bottle the madness without losing the flavour. The new Heroes is tighter, louder, funnier, and flat-out better in every possible way.
New Guitarist, Who Dis?
Let’s get this out of the way: the new lead guitarist doesn’t just fit in they announce themselves with that intro. There’s no question who’s in the driver’s seat now. The added guitar layer gives the track bite, depth, and swagger. It’s not showy, just solid as hell a huge upgrade from the more stripped-back 2017 cut. It’s like adding hot sauce to a classic burger. It worked before. Now it slaps.
That extra guitar also fills out the soundstage without turning the whole thing into a wall of noise. It’s tasteful chaos. Controlled anarchy. Like a bassist running full speed into the vocalist… but on purpose this time.
Bass, Drums, and That Lovely Controlled Mayhem
The bass tone on Heroes deserves a shoutout. It’s pulse-heavy, driving, and planted right in the middle of the mix where it should be. No flab. No sludge. Just steady, deliberate momentum. Pair that with drums that are sharp, snappy, and never get lost in the mix, and you’ve got the backbone of a band that knows how to move a track along.
The drummer here isn’t flashy they’re efficient. They understand the role: keep the chaos on a leash, let the band go wild without losing the plot. And it works. The result is a tight, punchy rhythm section that’s doing more than just keeping time. It’s setting the mood.
Vocals: No Cheese, Just Charm
Vocally, For Pony! don’t overdo it and that’s the magic. The harmonies are there, but dialled back just enough to stay cool. It’s that “we’re having fun, but we also know what we’re doing” sweet spot. The lyrics take cheeky jabs at superhero tropes without trying too hard to be clever, and the delivery feels natural a band that’s not afraid to take the piss out of themselves.
And that’s the thread running through Heroes: it never tries to be more serious than it is. It leans into the silliness without becoming a parody, which ironically shows real maturity. Punk rock grown up, but still refusing to wear a tie.
Production: A Massive Step Forward
The 2025 version of Heroes sounds miles ahead of its predecessor. Production-wise, it’s sharper, punchier, and cleaner. The guitars crunch without mud. The vocals sit snug in the mix. The drums cut through like they should. And crucially, it sounds like the band probably does live minus the accidental stage injuries.
This is how Heroes was meant to sound in the first place: loud, confident, and locked in. Whatever studio magic (or chaos) went into this version, it paid off.
Dick Dynamite Collab: The Video Nobody Expected But Totally Needed
Pairing Heroes with footage from Dick Dynamite: 1944 was a stroke of genius. The film is a wonderfully over-the-top indie action flick made in Scotland, and the music video edited by the actual director blends the two worlds with just the right amount of wink. Explosions, bad guys, over-acted one-liners, and your song playing over the top? It’s like Scott Pilgrim by way of Fife.
It’s also a great example of a band collaborating outside the usual Spotify bubble. It shows ambition and character without getting all press-release about it.
For Pony! in 2025: Less Confused, Still Unhinged
This reworked Heroes isn’t just about fixing the mix or layering on a new guitarist. It’s a reset button. A signal that For Pony! aren’t just stumbling their way through punk rock anymore they’re charging at it with intent. The energy is still daft, the performances are still loose in the best way, but now there’s a foundation. A band that knows what they sound like, and actually sounds like that.
If Don’t Blink showed us their jokier side (hi Blink-182 parody), Heroes shows they can do it properly too. Loud, clean, and still totally ridiculous.
Verdict
For Pony! have managed to do the near-impossible: revisit an old track, make it better, and lose none of the charm in the process. Heroes 2025 is a blast of fun, fuelled by Scottish chaos, pop-punk hooks, and a healthy dose of self-awareness.
Whether you’re watching the Dick Dynamite video, catching them live, or just wondering what it’s like to get clotheslined by a bassist mid-chorus, this track sums them up perfectly.
Echo Scale™: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
