2022 provided some top of the pile records. When you take a look at what was produced only a year prior in 2021, you think to yourself how can some bands top a year that brought joy to our ears (musically anyway). Up step New York rockers, The Pretty Reckless. Regardless if it’s a record that shines a different light on the band, it still slaps.
The icons return to our sound systems yet again shortly after the release of 2021 smash hit record Death by Rock and Roll with album number five - Other Worlds. Baring in mind this record was dropped slap bang in the middle of their previous records tour with it being moved due to something causing chaos over a few years - the record drops with a mixture of previous singles and covers featuring various special guests.
It’s really a fun record to sit and listen to especially if your a hardcore Pretty Reckless fan, or even just a fan in general. From the old to the new with the added bonus of Bowie and Soundgarden, it’s something I can imagine being the perfect fit for more chilled midweek vibes rather than the weekend heavy Momsen we’re so used to.
However having such flawless tracks for example on record four, it’s hard to try and justify remixing on a semi- new repackaged piece. With that being said it’s still a very tidy album. The reading of 25 doesn’t have as much sweeping orchestral drama as the original but is still effective, while the slower take on Got So High offers just as much emotional heft. The acoustic take on album four’s title track is certainly worth the listen alone and brings out another side to an already top level track.
Some might say we don’t need another Bowie cover in the world, but the sky’s the limit in my eyes - the bands version of Quicksand certainly got my ears on full attention. It’s a mixture some may not expect but something I can get fully behind and wouldn’t be all against them sneaking it into a live show - but then again that’s just me. There’s even a robust take on Soundgarden’s, Loud Love and Halfway There.
Other Worlds shows The Pretty Reckless from a slightly different perspective, without questioning the foundations of the band. Cover versions and newly arranged own songs from the ‘Death by Rock and Roll’ album unfold a new fascination that is very difficult to resist, if that should be possible at all. The record is certainly something more for the ears of the die hard fan than someone only just hearing Momsen’s voice for the first time.