There’s a long tradition of bands that can compellingly explore the nuances of the human experience within the confines of pop music, that can elegantly consider both the lighter and darker elements of life through a deceptively sunny-sounding three-and-a-half-minute song. On their sophomore full-length, Velveteen, Toronto’s reigning power pop champions Pony manage the task with both finesse and panache across ten irresistible tracks that further cement their place in the genre’s lineage. Influenced by countless hours of self-reflection, literature, television and insomnia, the record showcases the band’s elevated sound and is their most fully realized to date, examining the complex relationships between longing, connection, and being true to oneself. For singer, songwriter and guitarist S...