The Pretty Reckless

The Pretty Reckless gave rock ‘n’ roll the jumpstart it needed for a new generation — but they did so entirely on their own terms. 

Since 2008, the group —Taylor Momsen [vocals, guitar], Ben Phillips [guitar, keys, piano], Mark Damon [bass], and Jamie Perkins [drums] — have emerged as the rare force of nature who can be featured by INTERVIEW Magazine, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, NYLON, and Women’s Wear Daily — as well as share a stage with Guns N’ Roses and Soundgarden.  

Joined by late producer Kato Khandwala, they fanned this flame on Light Me Up [2010] and Going To Hell [2014]. The latter housed three #1 smashes —the platinum-certified “Heaven Knows” (the biggest rock song of 2014), “Fucked Up World,” and “Follow Me Down. In the wake of 2016’s Who You Selling For, “Take Me Down” vaulted to #1 on the Mainstream Rock Songs Chart, enshrining them as "the first band to send its first four singles to #1 on the chart," according to​ Billboard​.  

During 2021, Death By Rock and Roll elevated them to rarified air. With its impact, the four-piece carved out a place in history as “the first female-fronted band to have back-to-back No. 1 singles at the active rock format” and “the first female-fronted act to have seven No. 1 singles on the Billboard Rock Radio Chart.” Beyond acclaim from V Magazine, The TODAY Show, PEOPLE, Spin, ELLE, American Songwriter, Bustle, ABC News Nightline, The Daily Beast, and more, it bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales Chart. It also notably boasted collaborations with legends such as Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil on “Only Love Can Save Me Now” and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello on “And So It Went.” 

Through and through, The Pretty Reckless didn’t simply throw the rulebook out the window; they set the fucker on fire on the way down. Introducing a bold vision unlike anything else this era had seen, Taylor’s bluesy seductive howl collided with revved-up and raucous rhythms, sweetly stoned melodies, and enough unpredictability in the studio and onstage to bring the danger back to rock ‘n’ roll. By sticking to their guns, the musicians reaped the rewards of such uncompromising fearlessness.  

This boundlessness drives Other Worlds [Fearless Records] where they deliver their first proper acoustic recordings, unexpected covers, and other reimaginings, covering new territory once more.  

“For a long time, we’ve been trying to figure out an alternative way of releasing music, including songs we love that didn’t make our records, covers, and alternate versions,” explains Taylor. “We found a way to do this coherently and consistently with Other Worlds. We’re a rock band, so there are lots of electric guitars on our records. However, we’ve gotten incredible feedback from fans about our acoustic performances, and we’d never put those out in any real format. So, this is a different take on the traditional format of a record and a stripped back version of us that our fans haven’t really heard before, but it’s still us.” 

“You get to hear a different side of Taylor’s vocals,” adds Ben. “It was a chance for us to see what she would sound like singing songs by people who have inspired us. It also gave us some perspective of where we need to go and what we need to be if we want to be that good.”  

As such, the record collates striking acoustic renditions of personal favorites accompanied by some very special guests. The recording of Elvis Costello’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” served as Taylor’s first cover originally performed for the “Fearless at Home” livestream in the midst of COVID. As another Pandemic-era cover, Matt Cameron played guitar and sang as Taylor powered an airy and lithe reimagining of Soundgarden’s “Halfway There” from King Animal, generating hundreds of thousands of views on its initial post. Iconic multi-instrumentalist, producer, and artist Alain Johannes handled guitar on The Pretty Reckless’s pensive and poetic interpretation of “The Keeper” originally by Chris Cornell, while David Bowie pianist Mike Garson performed a stirring piano movement for The Thin White Duke’s “Quicksand.”  

“When we were doing those initial performances, we made sure they were recorded well enough to release,” she goes on. “Everything during COVID had a certain tone to it. These songs fit the mood of the world. With covers, we did have a criteria—either you meet it, beat it, or equal it in a way that makes it just as good. Or you don’t do it, at least not in public in front of other people,” she laughs.  

In addition to exploring the work of other artists, the group also dressed down Death By Rock and Roll staples to their bare essence with shuddering, stirring, and striking acoustic performances of “Death By Rock and Roll,” “Only Love Can Save Me Now,” “25,” and the heartfelt finale “Harley Darling.” They introduce Other Worlds with the “Got So High (Remix).” Uplifted by ethereal keyboards, they reinvented the original as an intoxicating and infectious fever dream in waves of anesthetized sonic bliss.  

“Taylor wrote it by herself in all of the mayhem of everything she was going through,” recalls Ben. “It was before she came out on the other side of this trauma, so it’s very revealing.”  

“The song wasn’t written as a reflection where I was looking back on a bad time,” she adds. “It was written while I was in this bad time. There’s a simplicity to it with a pure jarring honesty. For the Remix, I wanted a stoner version that continues to repeat and puts you in that state of mind.”  

Meanwhile, The Pretty Reckless plugged in again on Soundgarden’s “Loud Love.” Marking a full circle moment, Taylor originally performed with the surviving members of Soundgarden at the Chris Cornell tribute concert I Am The Highway. They mirror the hulking intensity of the original punctuated by Taylor’s own vocal flare.  

“It’s tied in with Death By Rock and Roll, because it’s the first thing we technically recorded during the process,” she notes. “We still got the chance to pay homage now that the cycle is over.”  

In the end, The Pretty Reckless continue to push ahead.  

“To us, this record is pleasurable to listen to,” Ben leaves off. “The lyrics really mean something. You can escape into them. Maybe they give you insight and depth into your own life and soul. You can plug out for a little while.”  

“It has a dreamier arc to it from front to back,” Taylor concludes. “At this point, The Pretty Reckless is my life. Like life, it’s ever evolving. I have no idea where it fucking goes next, but I’m looking forward to it.”