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Chicago post-punk revivalists the Ponys formed in early 2001, inaugurated by singer/guitarist Jered Gummere in the months prior to dissolution of his previous project, local punk unit the Guilty Pleasures. He began writing and singing with girlfriend and bassist Melissa Elias, and after adding former Mushuganas drummer Nathan Jerde, the Ponys began playing the Windy City club circuit. The late 2002 addition of one-time Happy Supply singer/multi-instrumentalist Ian Adams radically reconfigured the band's sound, transforming their straightforward guitar rock via more idiosyncratic pop melodies and arrangements that accounted for the addition of second guitar and keyboards. During a tour stop in Memphis, the Ponys recorded their debut single, "So Sentimental," issued on the Contaminated label in mid-2003; the follow-up, "Wicked City," appeared on Big Neck by year's end. After agreeing to a handshake deal with Los Angeles label In the Red, the Ponys traveled to Detroit to record their debu...