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Last Updated:
Feb 2nd, 2010 - 13:42:13 |
Post Irony:
Pretty & Nice
“We get bored really easy,” says Jeremy Mendicino. “Our music is firstly and foremostly, a result of our over-indulged ears.” The Boston-by-way-of-Burlington engineer shares half of the singer/guitarist/frontman duties in keyed-up-kick-pop collective Pretty & Nice. Mendicino joined the group (originally started in 2004) after helping them (referring to presently, the only-remaining-founding-member, singer/guitarist Holden Lewis) record their debut album, Pink & Blue.
“(2009) was real busy on the touring and drumming front,” says Lewis. “We did four or five tours with about as many drummers. Lots of travel goals were fulfilled too; we toured Europe for the first time last fall and we toured with an Australian band before that, so, lots of culture. We’re now very well-cultured.”
“Plus,” adds Mendicino, “we had horse meat for the first time.”
Also in 2009, they, through their Sub-Pop-subsidiary label, Hardly Art, released the tight, tugging deluge of feverish hooks, breakneck riffs and sweet sunny melodies, Get Young, to many a warm review. It was, after all, a 10-song punch parade of spasmodic rhythms, synthesized sugar-splurged-banshee-blips and gurgles, mid-to-high-range vocals so honeyed and wavy it might almost feel right set to dreamy west coast beach-bound cruising if not for the more provocative caustic hew given to some of the chillier, more metallic scuffs and slams of certain songs.
“We are, to put it succinctly," says Mendicino, "very much aware of the apparent irony of our work.” This answers the palpable power-pop two-step coursing through their guitar-heavy tunes which are also tinged with a dark quirk of pummeling drums, ravenous tempos and screams from voice and guitar alike — seeming to please the freak-ified punk style of their forefathers, Brainiac, while also getting them stereotyped by so many music journo’s tyrannical lunge at conjuring revivalism for the unabashed pop sensibilities-blended-with-trendy-stance wit of various pockets of the new-wave (XTC and Costello are often name-dropped around these guys). Post-punk this and post-modern that and jaded crowds cocking heads at things that sound too poppy — it’s a mess. “We’ve taken to calling it ‘post-irony;’ sort of an irony that learns to negate itself. Perhaps a better word is simply ‘over-aware,’" says Mendicino.
When asked about the demanding title of their LP: “… any confrontational element is certainly not directed toward an older crowd,” is Lewis' reply. “The older stalwarts seem to be some of our biggest supporters! If anything, I’d say the younger folks today (our generation and younger) seem to be trying to grow themselves up really quickly. Read one way, Get Young means to let go of that.” To this, Mendicino concurs with, “Amen.” “But,” Lewis continues, “basically, we write whatever makes us feel good, happy, excited to play or listen to …”
It’s all very fast and blurring and tight and fun. It’d be dizzying if the songs actually gave you a chance to stop, breathe and look around, but the ride, from the flexing guitars to the unremitting clack kick and pound of the drums, is … well, pick your cliché, like a stitched in, eye-popped roller-coaster, from fast to faster to slow-ish to up to down, but the harness of those hooks never loosens.
“More of the same,” says Lewis, of their future, “more music, more tours, more airplanes, more vans! I’m looking forward to having more music to play for people.” | RDW
Pretty and Nice w/ Title Tracks & Friendly Foes • 2 /16 • The Pike Room (at The Crofoot, 1 South Saginaw in Pontiac) • 8 p.m., $8 • myspace.com/prettyandnice, thecrofoot.com
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