Vylet Pony (she/it) is an artist both prolific and eclectic, her work effortlessly spanning a sometimes baffling array of genres, sounds, and themes.
For those unfamiliar with it (which is very likely), for over a decade it’s made music based on the show “My Little Pony” and its art is inextricably tied to that fandom.
Some listeners suggest this is an unfortunate self-limitation, but she clearly finds deep creative power in it, made evident by the sheer amount and quality of music she’s released over the years.
“CUTIEMARKS (And the Things That Bind Us),” released 2021, marked her first real breakthrough into a broader audience outside the MLP community.
Now its new album “Girls Who Are Wizards,” the long-awaited ‘Vylet Pony EDM Album,’ continues its intently playful musical tradition with sample-heavy, rapidly-progressing EDM tracks that never go quite where you expect them to on the first listen.
Part roleplaying game session, part transcendental heart-to-heart and part celebration of ‘cringy’ EDM, this colorful chimera of an album is a fun listening experience all the way through.
Many of Vylet Pony’s albums have a unifying sample used throughout, and “Girls Who Are Wizards’” titular first track introduces us to its own with the soundbite “The music never stops, no!”
This bright, chirpy and reverberant kickoff to the album features lots of wub, synthy strings and piano melodies accompanied by Vylet Pony’s airy vocals and emotionally evocative lyrics.
The album continues into “The Story of DJ Goober,” which I enjoyed listening to when it was released early as a single. At times heavy and at times light, this track indulges in its bass when it gets the chance and near the end builds up to an utterly satisfying drop with the help of some raw, pleading vocals.
The third track, “The Queen is Back,” carries on the heavy drops until later mellowing out into a growly beat over which Vylet raps. The end of the song has some really neat moments as it’s taken over by artificial, machinic noises.
I don’t have as much to say specifically about the album’s middle chunk, but I do like tracks 4 and 6, “The Wizard of Wubz” and “Musicians of Ponyville.” They’re all solid, but not all my style.
Skipping forwards we arrive at what’s likely my personal favorite track on the album, “Sacred Dragon.” When the second chorus hits, the layers of energy built up throughout the song are cut through by stunningly clear vocals and give way to gorgeous rolling mesas of synth. It’s a confident, hallowed, fast-moving song that definitely evokes the feeling of soaring through a story.
The penultimate track “Facing Oblivion to Become the Lode Star” is another of my favorites, calling on similar energies as “Sacred Dragon” and following the chorus with these incredible cool squeaky synths that almost sound alive. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything quite like them before. The song is at once relaxed and energetic, steady and out-of-the-box, personal and cinematic.
The final track is “In the Name of Friendship,” a fitting sendoff to the album and what seems like a look back on Vylet Pony’s entire creative history with bits from many of her past projects.
I interpret the lyrics as reflecting on the nature of fandom and community as a whole, both its beautiful and uglier sides (“O’ the things we’ve done/In the name/The memories soiled In the name”).
For such an indulgent and referential album, an ending that touches on these themes is perfect; the adventure the listener has gone on has now come to a close, and play winds down.
Overall, I’m still not sure how “Girls Who Are Wizards” holds up for me against classic Vylet Pony releases like the incredibly stacked “CUTIEMARKS” (the difficulty that comes from an artist consistently releasing great stuff), but it’s a very enjoyable new step with very high peaks and strong character.
I’m excited to see my feelings towards it evolve as it becomes less and less ‘new’. Whether you’re already a Vylet Pony fan or someone who’s never heard of her, I recommend checking out “Girls Who Are Wizards.”
-DJ Tullykinesis