Let’s be honest, the last album from The Pretty Reckless was a bit…well, naff. What becomes apparent after a single listen of their latest opus is that this is the album which should have followed Going to Hell. Listening to Death By Rock and Roll is like putting on an old jacket from 2014 and finding a decent chunk of change. But in that same instance, that same chunk of change would likely get you more mileage in 2014 than it would nowadays.
Which is to say Death By Rock and Roll isn’t a bad album. It’s certainly a marked improvement over its predecessor but it’s also not The Pretty Reckless’ finest hour either. The lengthy time between albums is apparent throughout the dozen tracks found here with a clear amount of heart and soul poured into it. You could never level the accusation of “That’s the best they could come up with?” at them. Bristling with confidence, the radio friendly hard rock we’ve come to know them for these past ten years is still present. It’s beefier and despite the crucible this album was recorded in, doesn’t feel quite so dark as the last couple of releases.
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There’s a great wealth of variety to be found within between pop-drenched numbers, straightforward rockers, gritty punk-tinged moments, and even a country-tinged twang. It never feels like it’s unfocused or trying to do too much with the exception of “25”. This could have been the best Pretty Reckless album if they trimmed off the fat and held back a couple of the weaker tracks. Indeed, the afore-mentioned number is moody and contemplative at times then swells to be a classic Bond theme or even a mid-70s Queen track but instead of being a big, majestic number, it just comes across as forced.
Meanwhile, the title track and “Rock and Roll Heaven” are the teenage clichéd longings we divest ourselves as we mature. “Death By Rock and Roll” may be a barnstormer of an opening track and a reminder of how potent The Pretty Reckless can be but the lyrics glorify this idea of a “rock and roll lifestyle” and of wanting such an epitaph. It’s played out and cheesy (and not the good kind like Black Lace’s “Superman” that everyone of a certain age will remember from school discos) and crops up again in the acoustic-led “Rock and Roll Heaven” and wanting to join the infamous 27 Club, of which three of its four members are name-dropped throughout.
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Cheese and clichés aside, there’s some thrilling moments found between those bookends. “And So it Went” (with a guest appearance from Tom Morello) finds the quartet at their most menacing, gritty hard rock which ventures into metal territory and its gang vocals are reminiscent of “Heaven Knows”. There’s a couple of slow-burners in “My Bones” and “Witches Burn”, full of menacing darkness and the latter even hinting at classic AC/DC riffs. “Got So High” and “Standing at the Wall” tick the ballad boxes and whilst they’re a band whose ballads can stand up as well as their hard-hitters, both found here become some of the highest points of the album. There’s a moodier and cynical atmosphere to them, burdened by weight and, for lack of a better term, maturity. Handy since it really offsets the lack of maturity on the afore-mentioned tracks.
Death By Rock and Roll likely won’t convert any new fans for The Pretty Reckless because at this point, you know what you’re getting. It doesn’t quite hit the highs of Going to Hell but it certainly redeems them for Who You Selling For? What works in their favour, despite a couple of wobbles at the beginning and end, is in the midst of walking on well-travelled ground, they do it with more self-assurance than they ever have.
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Death By Rock and Roll is released on 12 February
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