Distorted Pony formed in 1986 in Los Angeles, California with Dora Jahr on bass and David U. on guitar, accompanied by the relentless pounding of a Roland TR-808 drum machine. In 1988, the duo recruited percussionist Theodore Jackson and guitarist Robert Hammer to expand their wall of noise. The group's first release was the "Concrete Bruises" 7" single, released in 1990 through Piece of Mind. The single was limited to only 1000 copies. After the release of the "Work Makes Freedom" EP in 1991 (on BOMP! Records) the band recruited drummer London May to replace the drum machine. The group soon recorded a full album, Punishment Room, in January of 1992 at Surrogate Spike Studios, (also the band's living room) , and engineered by Steve Albini. The band's final album was again recorded with Albini in the basement of his Chicago-area home, before breaking up the same day they finished mixing the album. The album, entitled Instant Winner, was released posthumously in 1994 through Trance Syndicate. All original members of the band, sans Robert Hammer, (replaced by Eddie Rivas) played together again in 2010, and have continued to play and tour sporadically, including a tour of Europe in the summer of 2018.