Pretty Please's Self-Titled Album Is Sweet and Sexy

Pretty Please

prettypleasemusic.net

To say that Pretty Please's self-titled album got here without turmoil would be a lie. Quite a tit-for-tat begat this delicious digital slab of 11 tracks.

And it is delicious. Sultry and sexy. Svengali drummer Juan Oña has

surrounded himself with the best sirens antiquity could muster in the

fares of vocalist, guitarist and synth mistress Bianca Pupo, the guitar

and vocals of Diana Aragon, the bass of Farina Mackliff, and the synth

and violin of Bavie Grafals.

It would be hard for the uninitiated to comprehend this blend of excellent and tropical pop without a cue, so if you've enjoyed Tilt, That Dog, the Pixies, the Breeders, and the Goops, you'll like this. If you are lost for words, then you'll like it because (a) you like good pop music and (b) you happen to have a heartbeat.

Opener "Leftovers for the Dogs" lets you know where you stand in this bevy of songstresses. This is followed by "L.O.V.E.," which you should expect, because before echo-y death, one should understand love and its nuances. "Sugarcane" is a burlesque, middle-of-nowhere-American-expatriate-Mexican-showdown of rockabilly-infused gypsy rock that is a hard-on inducer.

"Summer" is a quasi-electro ode to the tropicalia of living in South Florida -- a good ode in the classical and most poetic of senses. The middle of the album goes through with saccharine deliciousness that will satisfy the most discerning palate with "F Is for Failed!," "Zombies," and "Air Castles," which is airy in a "it's gonna pop" kind of way.

The back half of the disc closes with the punches of "X.X.X.," a distorted and nubile romp through the thoughts you've been denying so far, and the quick gels of "Twins" and "Nymphet" before finalizing the product with the abrasion of "Pistols & Revolvers," which amalgams the acerbic and toxic partnership that brought us here.

This is a good album from beginning to end, a satisfying album that raises the bar pretty fucking high. High enough for time to take place before a sophomore release rears its head. Also of note would be the sideline help of South Florida luminaries Ferny Coipel, Omar Garcia, Geneva Harrison, and Jorge Gonzalez. This was a community effort, and the community is a beautiful hodge-podge of love. Enjoy the love. Enjoy the Pretty Please, please!