Fazed on a Pony is the home recording project of Dunedin singer-songwriter Peter McCall.
Over the past couple of years McCall has released a scattering of plaintive low-key singles via Bandcamp (including Alone, which cropped up in this columnist's best of 2014 recap), and now has finally released his debut extended player.
''I don't like it, but it's fine,'' McCall laughs with a shrug.
''I know from other people telling me that the production is better [than past singles] and I know what I'm doing slightly more, even if the songs aren't as good.''
The EP, called Hunch, has just been released digitally and on extremely limited edition hand-made yellow cassette on Mirfield, UK-micro label Fox Food Records.
''The guy from Fox Food just emailed me and was really over the top about my past releases. He asked if I was going to do something, and if I was, I should talk to him about it. Well, I told him I was recording an EP but I wasn't. He's been really nice.''
McCall's work shares of a lot of DNA with the output of the Orchid Tapes family, a Brooklyn-based independent label and home to a number of artists, including Alex G. Elvis Depressedly, and R. L. Kelly.
Orchid Tapes focuses on curating ''music and artwork that breaks free of the established norm, disregards trends, reflects the dedication of its creator and provokes a strong emotional resonance within whoever experiences it''.
McCall's sincerity and musical personality put him right alongside this mission statement.
Fazed on a Pony's sound is building guitar-driven bedroom pop delivered with a fuzzy aesthetic and a lyrical disposition that leans towards the downcast.
But whereas grainy lo-fi home-recorded pop can often feel the artist is leaning in close to expose their feelings just for you, McCall's work feels grander in scale: epic below the surface and limitless potential.
McCall's approach to Fazed on a Pony comes across a lot like his beautiful deep vocals; it's nonchalant and very self-deprecating.
''The Fazed on a Pony thing is just a way to put music out. It's not a grand scheme to become a famous rock star or anything. The whole idea is like Bill Callahan's project Smog.
"He'd just make these records, some would be crazy weird stuff and some would be really normal songs and he'd just put them out under this name.
''It's just me forcing myself to do it. It's really just so it's out there, that's the best I can do at the moment.''
The single Only One Who Feels A Little Bit Bad is certainly something to be proud of. It's sophisticated, and very, very catchy.
On 0 to 100 McCall murmurs about when you're in a terrible place, you've just got to work at it: ''you can't go back, but you can't go 0 to 100 either''.
The same is true of songwriting, but if Fazed on a Pony's progression is anything to go by McCall is well on his way.
The EP
• Fazed on A Pony's debut EP Hunch is out now on Fox Food Records foxfoodrecords.bandcamp.com/
