There’s something magnificently unpretentious about The Pretty Littles, a bunch of guys that don’t take themselves too seriously, wear their love for local influences such as The Vasco Era on their sleeve, and generally don’t seem to give of a shit.
But that doesn’t make their music a joke. Their debut LP Mash is a classic, diverse rock ‘n’ roll release. Opening with a rocking and relatively brief Never Felt Worse, frontman Jack Parsons shows off his familiar scream over a deep guitar riff and thumping drums: “I’m in love but I’ve never felt worse!” he yells.
The great thing about the Little’s songwriting is that they tend not to bash out tracks at the same volume and tempo, and if they do they keep it short like on Rubba Arm. Everything else is full of great falls and build ups. Lonny has a nice piano breakdown before launching into some mean, grungy guitar, Om Beach starts off sweetly then gets more energetic, and Noobie has this rousing chorus that would be a pearler of a sing-along if I knew the words. And just when you think you can peg them as a knock-around rock band they come out with tracks that say something a bit more poetic about life in your twenties such has Having Trouble and The University Blues.
Stylistically, Mash is not too dramatically different from their previous EP, but it’s good showcase of their talent, and hey it’s a formula that works, why muck with it?
BY GARRY WESTMORE
Best Track: Noobie
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: The Vasco Era, The Mess Hall
In A Word: Feral
