Lauren Pondes is PONZ, a Tāmaki Makaurau based muso and DJ. She’s made a name for herself across the D & B scene in the last few years and has worked with a number of big names, dropped some quality stuff and seen her star rise on several continents.

New single Fantasies is a step in the development of PONZ as a project. While still retaining an exceptionally club vibe, this is more a step towards a pop release. Hardcore PONZ fans don’t panic – the song is very definitely not sugary sweet or watered down in any way from what’s come before. It’s just been approached differently.

We’ve got some discordant synths going on, with what I initially thought might have been an 808 keeping the time. Not sure if I’m right, but the techno feel to the bottom end definitely put me in mind of mid-flow at a swinging rave, right at the height of the energy being spent and lights high as skull crushingly high-volume beats resonate through your very core. Paradoxically Lauren‘s vocal has taken an unexpected turn, in that she’s brought a breathy soprano that’s given it the only pop tone I would say it has. By this I am saying well done, because from the EPK I understand this was what she was aiming for.

The melody for the vocal is catchy and commercially viable for the likes of More FM, ZM, and the dancier types such as Mai FM. I’d suggest this would work very well on the student stations, on RDU, 95bFM, RadioActive etc. While saying that, it’s an alternative kind of commerciality, fey and in your face. The context of the lyrics are best described in the EPK: Written while in a Covid delirium, Fantasies plays with the idea of meeting someone through what feels like destiny, and deciding to live in the moment.

Co-written and co-produced with her friend Ben Hollamby, we’ve got something white hot in our hands here. It’s got a high tempo, is somewhat House orientated in the prevalence of middle and treble, with the bass coming to the fore the louder your subs are set. Definitely still sits in the nightclub, dance music set of genres, and while the great vocal crosses genre types you’re going to be coming across this late at night. The urban landscape, after dark but not as energy saps, downstairs in those clubs that don’t ever seem to end the night – that’s the spiritual home for this stuff.

Really cool. I hope this goes as far across the globe as PONZ‘s previous releases as it deserves to. Go give it a listen – it’s on the streaming platforms now.