Going to Hell The Pretty Reckless Album Review

  I haven't published a post in quite sometime, and I decided to make a comeback, because one of the first bands I reviewed released a follow up. It's been nearly four years since The Pretty Reckless released their freshman LP, Light Me Up. I was a huge fan of it and then, the band just seemed to disappear. At a certain point I just assumed they broke up, until they started making some noise releasing a few radio singles. Then, promotion started heavy on their Sophomore album "Going To Hell". This started nearly 9 months of non-stop tweeting, touring, and facebook posts promoting the record. Finally after an agonizing waiting, Going To Hell has finally been released, but was it worth the wait or all hype?

 Back in 2010 when I reviewed, Light Me Up, it was this supercharged 90's throwback album. Everything sounded very Smashing Pumpkins, it was a great record, that got far too much negative attention, because of lead singer Taylor Momsen being an actress on the television show "Gossip Girl". With the show having ended in 2012, Momsen has since built TPR up to be something entirely separate from her acting career. With the release of the tonally different Going To Hell, Momsen and crew prove themselves to be an incredibly talented band.
 The sound they went for on Going to hell is far more 70's hard rock than anything. At times, it seems like Taylor is channeling Robert Plant and Rod Stewart all at the same time. Her voice isn't the only thing of note on this album, if you don't play air guitar to Ben Phillips' riffs or head bang to the amazing drum work by Jamie Perkins, you are not human.
 The album isn't all hard rock, there is definitely still an alt vibe throughout the whole album, and the last track "Waiting for a Friend" is a solid folk track. The only issue I have found with this near perfect record, is the fact that track 11 "Fucked Up World" sounds exactly like a Green Day song "Warning". That one critique aside, I have to give Going to Hell by The Pretty Reckless a 5 out of 5.


The title track single