ALBUM REVIEW: Dear God – The Pretty Reckless
THE PRETTY RECKLESS have returned after some time away with an almighty “here we are” with the release of their more than impressive fifth studio album, Dear God. This album is a record that feels like a powerful continuation of the band’s journey whilst also pushing the four piece into darker, moodier territory.
Following the release of the 2021 album, Death By Rock And Roll, this new album presents Taylor Momsen and the band through 14 tracks exploring themes of mortality, self-discovery, chaos and redemption. Dear God balances the tricky path of heavy rock fuelled aggression with emotional chaos and vulnerability, creating arguably their most ambitious release to date, and honestly the most exciting.
Opening with Life Evermore Pt. 2, the album immediately sets a dramatic tone with a short acoustic and atmospheric introduction that feels like Momsen is allowing us to enter a story already in progress. Leaning into the nuances of story-writing through song, it feels akin to the opener of Welcome To The Black Parade by MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE in all the best ways.
No sooner are we finishing the softness of the opener are we thrown into the lead single For I Am Death. The song packs a sinister, thunderous sound, driven by the powerful guitars of Ben Phillips and Mark Damon alongside Momsen’s commanding vocal delivery. It is a song that captures the band’s ability to make rock songs feel theatrical and intricate. Similarly, second single When I Wake Up throws us into a classic rock sound that feels like a nod to FOO FIGHTERS and the rebelliousness of HALESTORM as the band throws themselves into a huge rock chorus.
Throwing back to a softer yet heart wrenching song that brings a classic PRETTY RECKLESS swagger, Love Me combines bluesy rock with a desperate emotional edge as Momsen sings the lines ‘My body is all that I’m worth… why doesn’t anyone love me?.’ The song feels like a heart breaking each time it’s played, and the anguish and rawness seeps through the chords.
Dragonfire feels like one of the album’s biggest moments. Burning with intensity and showcasing the band’s heavier side, it blends a slow build with explosive rhythms that overlap and leave you with a classic PRETTY RECKLESS sound that also feels like something altogether different. The magic of the overlapping acoustics play for what could be an incredible live song. Similarly, the title track, Dear God, is a complete centrepiece of the record. A long, dramatic and cinematic six-minute journey that sounds like a conversation with something bigger than what you could ever expect, mixing anger, fear and hope to create a true masterpiece of a song as Momsen shouts “Dear God can you lift me up, can you take me higher”. The song is so much more than a title track, it’s a prayer to the audience who are definitely going to pray at the altar of THE PRETTY RECKLESS.
The album instantly dives into the second Life Evermore interlude narrated by Momsen that then dives into the second half of the album with About You, a track that leans more into personal reflection and memory with loud guitars and anthemic riffs and vocals that could lend to any iconic teen movie scene with it’s classic bluesy feel. Spell On You brings a darker, almost mystical atmosphere that feels iconically THE PRETTY RECKLESS and would sit perfectly in any setlist with the lyrics ‘If I were a witch I would make a brew… put a spell on you’.
The second half of the album feels like it embraces the unpredictability of existence and gives the record a more energetic, classic rock feel, especially with the tracks Rollercoaster Of Life and Eye Of The Storm, with the latter standing out as a resilient anthem for the masses. Devil In Disguise (Michelle’s Song) adds into our storyline with another emotional layer that leans into the band’s skills at songwriting and musicality.
Closing the album with Dark Days and Life Evermore Pt.1, the ending feels like a grungy walk towards the end. Whilst it does feel like these latter songs are drenched in gloom, the natural sombre nature of the songs lends to the end of the story that is woven throughout the album. The closing speech from Momsen telling us that she doesn’t want to be surprised by her life anymore is a perfect nod to the mundane that some artists must aspire for.
Overall, Dear God feels like a bold statement from THE PRETTY RECKLESS but also gives us arguably their best album to date. It does not abandon the raw blues/rock sound that built their reputation initially, but it adds layers of maturity and depth to create something rather spectacular. The album’s greatest strength is the way it leans into huge riffs, sensational songwriting, with honest raw emotion, proving that the band still knows how to make fantastic rock music.
Rating: 8/10
Dear God is out now via Fearless Records.
Like THE PRETTY RECKLESS on Facebook.