ismBoF (I never understood why his profile pic is green Tom)

Introduction: Hey fellow pony music fans, my name is DuxTape and I hope to be writing articles about pony music from time to time. Essential Brony Musicians was a series I had started on Daily Dose Of Pony, and will be continuing here on Horse Music Herald. If you are interested in more, check out my previous articles covering WoodLore, Evening Star / Marcus Warner, and Tarby.

Today I’m highlighting ismBoF, also known as ISMBOFepicly, or more recently as BoffleFloffe. The name “ismBoF” being a parody of the band I Set My Friends On Fire, but with “bronies” instead. Though he never performed at any conventions, he produced more than his share of music, so let’s dive in!

ismBoF was part of the initial wave of pony music. His first song was Secrets & Lies, uploaded on June 10th 2011 for the first Remix War competition. In the Remix Wars, brony musicians would create new music by emulating each other’s styles, or simply making remixes/covers. If you see a song credited “X befriends Y“, it was likely created for a Remix War. In this case, ismBoF befriended Chain Algorithm!

What makes ismBoF stand out from the other artists is his how he combines metalcore riffs with rich, electric melodies. It makes for a sound that is heavy, yet uplifting. This is exemplified by his second song, Gimme RD. Even though it’s a high-octane, 5 minute long instrumental work, its richness and variety keeps every moment exciting. You can imagine how this is perfect for a song about a pony like Rainbow Dash—in fact it worked so well he created a sequel, Of Loyalty.

For the Trixie-themed Remix War II, he created The Great and Powerful x20, while Remix War III featured Luna’s Lullaby (covering IAmNotACleverPony), and Remix War IV has Flutter (inspired by Norris3942’s YTPMV based on Flower by DJ Yoshitaka) as well as a metal cover of Nyan Cat, because 2011.

For something a bit calmer and more emotional, there is As She Fell Behind, which extrapolates William Anderson’s background music in Putting Your Hoof Down into a beautiful Fluttershy-themed piece. CMC Driver’s Ed Cutie Marks! YAY! is a chaotically badass CMC-themed rock track that will pump you up.

While most songs are solo and instrumental, ismBoF has also collaborated on several songs. The most well-known are probably his collabs with Matthew Mosier. My Cadance is a ballad between Shining Armor (Matthew) and Cadance (Megaphoric) about the fate of the Crystal Empire. The Destiny is a short but equally heart-wrenching piece that witnesses Twilight’s ascendancy into princesshood. While Matthew knows how to make a song sound touching, ismBoF brings the sentimentality to a higher level. He also teamed up with Turquoise Splash, Megaphoric and 4EverfreeBrony to create the dreamy and serene Counting Sheep. Furthermore, he appeared on PrinceWhateverer’s original version of Not Letting Go.

There’s also a couple of songs that were made for community albums. Seeds of Kindness was a series of albums made to raise funds for charity. For the first album, ismBoF created Wish Upon A Strum Of Heartstrings, while Seeds of Kindness 2: Faithful and Strong has Painting Pegasi. Balloon Party was a prestigious community album series with the aim of gathering money to get pony musicians perform at BronyCon and Everfree Northwest. Here you will find Friendship in Tartarus on 100% No Feeble Cheering, which starts off gritty and chaotic but eventually settles into the familiar instrumental style.

In the second half of 2012, complete, original songs started to slow down. It appears that ismBoF was slowly getting off the ride, occasionally uploading snippets of WIP songs that never got finished. An acoustic version of Gimme RD thankably found its way on the internet in 2016, as well as a song called Presence Within Desolation.

Since then, BoffleFloffle (as he’s now called) has been uploading miscellaneous music to his SoundCloud and Bandcamp from time to time. I’m glad that, despite songs being unlisted, he’s allowed the original uploads to still be accessible on YouTube.

Songs you should definitely check out:

More Than Quiet Eyes
One of the WIPs that was uploaded years later. This Fluttershy themed song really demonstrates how well ismBoF is able to convey emotion with his music. The fact that he doesn’t do vocals is a blessing in disguise for songs like this. The instruments speak for themselves.

Give Me Eyes To See
Derpy being Dinky’s mother is kind of a forgotten headcanon, but it’s made for some beautiful art. It inspired JackleApp’s Autumn, Ponky & Eccentrifuge’s Bright Eyes, as well as this song. The defiant instruments and Pinkie Guy’s lead vocals make a contrast to Solrac’s over-the-top metal grunts and signature unhinged shout-singing. The result is a Derpy song that is both badass and silly. PrinceWhateverer’s 2021 cover is probably more well-known these days, and ismBoF made a rare reappearance on it.

We’ll B In Harmony, Even Through Struggle
Lay back and close your eyes for this one. Frankly, this is one of my favourite songs of all time. If More Than Quiet Eyes shows what ismBoF can do in the realm of metal, then Harmony demonstrates his acoustic/orchestral talent. Though credit goes the Makkon, too, for the strings and the piano. Either way, the title says it all: resolve and friendship will always triumph. This song perfectly encapsulates the spirit of MLP:FiM.

– DuxTape