PRETTY LITTLES, THE - Force LP

Fantastic packaging again by Sounds of Subterrania!

It goes without saying that obviously, a lot of Australian bands are fantastic. But fewer of them actually sound Australian, and therein lies the rub. Melbourne outfit The Pretty Littles are bringing a new level of sincerity to this scene with their unique brand of disorderly rock that combines one-two-screw-you jams with an unaltered accent and lyrics so honest you couldn’t even read them out in confession. The Pretty Littles are a four piece garagerock band from Melbourne that have been releasing music since 2011 and playing music since 2008. Jack, Sam, Liam and J have already released 7 albums including „Force". These guys aren’t trying to prove anything, they’re just playing great garage rock that’s honest, laid back and lyrically on the money. They have such a way with words, nailing every lyric. Life is messy, we all screw up and we often find ourselves thinking strange things – The Pretty Littles sums all this up really nicely. For nearly half the time of the band’s existence, frontman Jack Parsons spent five years writing what has now become their latest epic single, -Australian Dream-. Weighing in at over 8 minutes, Australian Dream is a melodic & jangly indie rock opus that lyrically exposes “hidden undercurrent and hypocrisy of the ‘she’ll be right” mentality that plays out unspoken and unseen in suburban homes across the nation”. Parsons explains the song’s extended writing process, saying “Australian Dream took me 5 years to write. I gave up on it a hundred times, but something kept drawing me back to chip away at it”. "The song is about my disillusion with every ideal we are force fed in Australia”, Jack concludes. “The supposed cornerstones of our young proud country which insidiously permeate through our lives, into our living rooms and under our rugs. We are a sad, lonely and broken country which survives on propaganda, spin and confusion.” The other leading song -Force- presents more ideas than other bands manage to do on a complete album. The way this 4:39 minute monster builds up and increases the power beat by beat is brilliant. In addition, you're practically glued to Jack Parsons' lips and absorbing every word, because it's not just phrase after phrase, but someone who can write lyrics that want to communicate something. This is punk rock as it should be and as I want it to be. Forces works perfectly in front of the stage as well as on the dance floor, in every indie disco between Oslo and Porto. Genre-wise, this album is not easy to fit under a label. Shades of classic Australian rock are present, while even garagepunk is distinguishable and a kind of early british singer/songwriter protest culture.