Canadian alt-country artist Pony Gold consumes with a powerful sound on new single “Impossible Dream,” coming via her upcoming album High Road Reverie, out on October 3rd. “I wrote this song in the early days of my recovery when I was just beginning to navigate life without substances,” she says. “It came from a place of anger, and reflection on how I had been living, where I was headed, and the deep frustration I felt with the state of the world.”
The track, which was crafted with Pony Gold’s longtime collaborator and husband Matt Bromley, represents continued success for the artist — following up acclaimed previous single “Big In The City” and 2023 debut EP Take Me Somewhere, which climbed to #1 on Canadian college radio’s Roots/Folk/Blues charts. Festival appearances at Filberg, Sunfest, and Rifflandia — in addition to Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre — comprise a number of standout live performances as well for Pony Gold, who is originally from Smithers, BC and now based in Victoria, BC.
A heartfelt, relatable depiction of personal survival and the daily grind are showcased in the track’s visceral lyrical prowess. “Been working nights at a dead end job, trying to make ends meet,” Pony Gold’s vocals ring out, with references to insufficient paychecks, looming bills, and a “need to eat” arising into questions of where money is best spent — groceries, rent, or something to numb the tumult. “Spent the last ten dollars to get me gone,” the vocals ring out, asking “how are you supposed to live, when $100 ain’t worth shit? I’m dying to reach the impossible dream.” The latter, title-touting segment rings out with especially enthralling qualities, as twangy guitars bolster the expressive vocals with enduring ardency. “Impossible Dream” is a gripping success of a track from Pony Gold.
Pony Gold elaborates further on the track:
“These days it feels like no matter how hard you work, you cannot get ahead. The cost of living is relentless, and for many of us, survival means choosing between groceries, rent, or something to numb the pain. The weight of debt, the fear of bills, the sting of realizing a hundred bucks barely gets you through the checkout line – it can all feel hopeless.”
“I had a vision that I just wanted this one to really rock out and reflect the emotional angst in the lyrics,” she says. “This one was recorded first thing on the second day, everyone was feeling fired up and freshly caffeinated and we got it down pretty quick. I think these lyrics are something everyone could relate to and there may have been some of that adding to the fire.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
