The Pretty Reckless ‘Dear God’
Record-breaking, multi-platinum rock band The Pretty Reckless are back in a big way with their fifth studio Dear God making it their first in five years. Songs of misery for your enjoyment! It is a compelling listen yet emotionally heavy. The personal and creative upheaval for vocalist Taylor Momsen is well documented and really has dug deep exploring every nook and cranny of her soul literally baring everything, leaving nowhere to hide. There is the suggestion that Dear God is ‘desperation set to music’.
That said this album flexes plenty of emotional muscle paving the way for their most vulnerable, raw and uncompromising album so far. It is easy to throw words around like this, but they talk the talk and walk the walk. Right from the get-go they lean into these dark themes of depression, substance abuse and grief giving Momsen plenty of scope to lock in and let go of some of this emotional torment but doing it boldly and without any fear. It is as if these songs lifted straight out of Momsen’s diary as a confessional of sorts.
The intro Life Evermore Pt. 2 lays the first piece of the story before charging in to For I Am Death. It has a sinister feel to it exploring deep topics such as mortality and darkness. It rocks hard setting for tone for what’s to come and is an obvious choice as a single. After several plays what is apparent is how well considered all the pieces of the story are put together in a cohesive manner that enhances the listening experience.
The second single lifted from the album When I Wake Up carries on in much the same vain. It’s immediate and captures the essence of what the album is about in a blaze of fury and chaos. ‘Love Me’ is like an arrow to the heart hitting the emotional core of the album along with Dragonfire and the title track. Dear God is cathartic as much as it is liberating in a sense for Momsen with songs such as Eye Of The Storm reading like a story of survival to Dark Days which is almost like a full circle moment acknowledging that there will be always be dark days but it’s how you move on from them.
Musically, The Pretty Reckless really do up the ante and with this dark and emotionally charged hard rock with a confessional edge. New fans, old fans and casual observers having listened to Dear God would have felt that they to would have ridden the emotional highs and lows of this journey with the band making it all the more relatable and confirming its authenticity. Let’s hope that in 2027 Australian fans get to hear this story live.
Album Review By Rob Lyon
DEAR GOD – DUE OUT JUNE 26
https://link.theprettyreckless.com/deargod
