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“…Harnett’s intoxicating melancholic ache and twang combine with absolutely world class songwriting right across All Night Long. A strong contender for Australian alt-country album of the year”. Rhythms Magazine
“Caitlin Harnett and The Pony Boys are earnest and full of heartland spirit “. ABC Country
“This is alt-country at its best, with insights into love, relationships, and the human condition that will leave you feeling both heartbroken and hopeful”. Happy Magazine
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A diamond forged under the weight of a long-term relationship disintegrating and an existential re-examination of the soul, Caitlin Harnett and The Pony Boys second album All Night Long doubles down on the popular harbour city outfit’s thrilling exploration of inner-city country music’s outer limits.
Harnett’s admitted habit of revealing songs to her road-tight band at the very last-minute means that many of the songs captured on All Night Long exist as vital documents of the band’s earliest attempts at each composition. A record worthy of their confirmed status as major draws on alternative roots line-ups across the country, the spontaneity is high and the challenge to tastefully explore the outer reaches of Americana drives The Pony Boys to deliver magic takes heavy on vibe and vitality.
Harnett confirms that her band weren’t “that pleased” with her late reveal, but adds, “I kind of always do that, I did it with our last album. I like to work with pressure.”
Harnett shares that after recording their first album, Late Night Essentials with Joseph Ireland as a rather DIY affair intended as a demo made in the producer’s home, that he was keen to capture Caitlin and The Pony Boys in slightly higher fidelity, but not enough to mess with the band’s already analogue earthiness.
After a productive two days in the studio with their engineer, Harnett on reviewing the material soon realised All Night Long was in fact a break-up album. At the same time her seven-year relationship was faltering, the writer was driven to address and move herself away from some of the complex issues of self-doubt and underestimation of worth that plague so many creatives.
“I was basically writing all these songs, you know battling through, and learning to live with who you are as a person and to love yourself.”
As a result, All Night Long finds Harnett walking with a new-found determination, and armed with a new collection of music set to advance the already attractive proposition that she and her Pony Boys provide for fans with an ear for the twangier side of rock n roll.
“I’ll Get By” features Harnett and her barroom tight Pony Boys in a reflective yet determined frame of mind as their sum parts come together to deliver another radio friendly slice of Americana melancholy. Harnett considers “I’ll Get By” to be, “a big middle finger to those people who have tried to hold me back and shaken my belief in myself. I wrote this song as a reminder to always go my own way”.
“Sidelines” is The Pony Boys channeling peak 70’s Mac live, while Harnett delivers honesty in a sweet tone straight from the hip. “I wrote this song for my sister who was being bullied by her (now ex, thank god haha) partners family,” Harnett shares. “It was a really tough time for her, they put her through hell, so I wanted to write this song for her to give her back some power and to remind her to just keep staying true to herself. I’ve never really understood why people have to put others down to feel better about themselves.’
The lamenting “Can’t Have It All” which Caitlin calls, “probably my favourite on the whole record”, is a heartbreaker riding splashed out cosmic guitars and a horn laden outro that jams into the ether. “This track is. the battle between wanting something and knowing that no matter how much you want it, it doesn’t mean its right. And like the Rolling Stones say; you can’t always get what you want.”
“Lil Ripper” is telling of the pocket the Pony Boys ride together in after so many miles on the road opening for the likes of Orville Peck and Charlie Crockett. The snug fitting rhythm section swings together as Harnett’s melancholy offers a warm place in which your heart can succumb. “This song is about all the ups and downs of being in a band and finding the time to make it all happen when things are feeling tough. There’s also a lil nod to our friends in there cos we’re so lucky to have them by our side every step of the way.’
“Only Dreaming” is a big atmosphere, soft mallets on drums and a lilting vocal that gives way to momentary enveloping waves of reverb, a waking 90’s alt-pop dream. Caitlin sees Only Dreaming as, “a little kick up the arse for me. A reflection on where I was at and how I could be doing more. It’s so easy to daydream about everything you want but you gotta do the work to get there.”
“Even Cowgirls Cry”, the first track delivered from All Night Long to radio which saw playlists across the nation falling hard for this heart worn anthem. Harnett says “I wrote it for a friend who was battling between letting people into her life and the realisation that she was better off on her own. It’s okay to be alone and happy. In a world where we are told to believe that we need to have a partner to be happy, it’s easy to forget that you can just love and romance yourself every day and that’s just as special”.
“Living With Yourself” is a dreamy barroom ballad yearning for acceptance of the self. Within its countrified twang Harnett asks the question, isn’t it time? ‘I wrote this song about those dark days you have with yourself. Wanting to do and be better. Feeling like things are out of reach. This is a little reminder to myself that I AM doing it; I’m kicking goals and living my dream. I’ve gotta learn to love who I am and not let those dark days get the better of me.”
“Max’s Song” finds the Pony Boys jamming in scenic hues while Harnett delivers a confidential plea, a summation between intimates that asks ‘please don’t ask me, to be happy’. “I wrote this song for a dear friend of ours, Max. Wishing I could have changed things for him and the regret I felt for how long it had been since we’d spent time together. It’s a song for anybody who has lost someone and the darkness that follows.”
The cavernous atmosphere of “If I Don’t Have You” is a cosmic highpoint as Harnett’s saturated vocal lead The Pony Boys wide into the open range. Caitlin asks, “everyone’s gotta write a big sad break up song right? This is mine. I wrote this in about half an hour. It just spilled out into this kinda classic country, Patsy Cline style song, with a swear word at the end to really confuse people.”
“Waiting For Something” weaves a sombre spell, it’s a weary realisation, a spell to one’s own motivation and realisation that the power for your change is within. ‘Another song telling myself to get my shit together and get it done. To write more, release music, play more shows, to believe in myself more and to get outta the damn city for a while.’
Harnett concludes, “I hope that people will be able to relate to some of the conversations I’m having with myself in these songs. Learning to live with yourself because this is who you are. Like obviously be a good person, work on yourself, but love yourself…but also c’mon, get your shit together!
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CAITLIN HARNETT & THE PONY BOYS’
ALL NIGHT LONG
OUT NOW
THROUGH SPUNK RECORDS
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CAITLIN HARNETT & THE PONY BOYS
ALL NIGHT LONG
ALBUM TOUR 2023
for tickets visit
THURSDAY 2 NOVEMBER
Castlemaine, VIC, Australia
Theatre Royal
FRIDAY 3 NOVEMBER
Northcote, VIC, Australia
Northcote Social Club
SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER
Ballarat, VIC, Australia
Volta
SATURDAY 11 NOVEMBER
Adelaide, SA, Australia
Grace Emily Hotel
FRIDAY 17 NOVEMBER
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
The Stag & Hunter Hotel
SATURDAY 18 NOVEMBER
Wollongong, NSW, Australia
La La La’s
SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER
Marrickville, NSW, Australia
The Factory Theatre
FRIDAY 1 DECEMBER
Fortitude Valley, QLD, Australia
Black Bear Lodge
SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER
Eltham, NSW, Australia
The Eltham Hotel NSW
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Follow CAITLIN HARNETT
& THE PONY BOYS
Website – Instagram – Facebook
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AMNPLIFY – DB
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