Pit Pony Launch a Ferocious Critique of Modern Life on New Single “Vacancy”
Newcastle quintet Pit Pony are firing on all cylinders with their latest single, Vacancy — a track that feels destined to catapult them into the upper echelons of the UK’s punk and indie scenes.
Fresh off the momentum of last year’s blistering single Well Well — which alone was enough to convince me to grab a ticket for their April 25th gig at The Shacklewell Arms — Pit Pony are taking their second album Dead Stars on the road with shows in Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Edinburgh, Newport, Halifax, and Liverpool. Every release from the band so far has been a knockout, and Vacancy is no exception.
The track wrestles with the digital age’s manic pace and our fractured relationship with social media. “It’s about being dumbfounded by the modern world and social media,” says vocalist Jackie Purver — a sharp distillation of the chaos we all live through. Vacancy lashes out at the hyper-curated, influencer-driven culture of online performance — the kind of world where people sip branded coffee in car parks while filming “content.” It’s a biting rejection of hustle culture, algorithmic validation, and the illusion of authenticity that social media demands. In the context of the ongoing Starbucks boycott over its ties to Israel, the song even feels like an anthem against that slick, capitalist sheen — a call to pull the plug, slow down, and reclaim a sense of real life.
Sonically, the band continue to evolve their sound with influences ranging from Fontaines D.C. to Wolf Alice. Echoes of Skinty Fia and Blue Weekend ripple through Vacancy, particularly in its slow-burning build and Purver’s visceral delivery. Her voice moves from simmering unease to a full-throated roar, capturing the fury and confusion of modern existence. The song’s internal struggle reflects a broader tension — a demand to pause and reflect in a world obsessed with speed and spectacle.
Fans of IDLES will feel right at home — the two bands have shared stages before — but Pit Pony’s reach is broader, pulling inspiration from the likes of Nadine Shah and even Ennio Morricone. There’s a fusion at play here: elements of ‘50s doo-wop, heavy rock, and cinematic grit merge into something distinctively their own.
Dead Stars, the follow-up to their 2022 debut World to Me, already sounds like a major leap forward. If Vacancy is anything to go by, Pit Pony aren’t just riding a wave — they’re steering it.
