Pretty Vicious - Beauty of Youth

Beauty of Youth is what happens when raw talent and a knack for writing great songs finds itself surviving the hype

The perils of industry hype and stardom have been unforgiving for many young bands. The brutal nature of the rock n' roll whirlwind is both an inescapable thrill, and the overdose that has claimed the scalp of many. Welsh rock band Pretty Vicious are no stranger to the often destructive nature of record label glory and lofty expectations. The band members were mere teens (15-17) when they signed their mega-deal with Virgin EMI in 2015. What followed was a roller coaster ride of failed recording sessions and the burden of unmet expectations that come with signing big-money deals at such a young age. But the remarkable truth is, Pretty Vicious seem to have come out of the industry slog having survived their initial foray into the fire with an album that is quite a remarkable achievement.

Initially touted as the "next Oasis", Pretty Vicious have thankfully shunned that tag and done away with writing the next Definitely Maybe for something more visceral. Beauty of Youth is what happens when raw talent and a knack for writing great songs finds itself surviving the hype. If Beauty Of Youth is a record signaling Pretty Vicious' convalescence after their initial break down, then please, feed this medicine to all the bands.

There is no Oasis, but rather the furious, feverish unpredictability of rock music that we had seen with early Biffy Clyro, early Idlewild, packed with the dangerous uncertainty that came with The Libertines. It's immediate too; from the raucous riff-heavy opener "These Four Walls" to the vagabond "What Could've Been", much of the album channels frenzied palettes of distortion and beautiful noise. "Force of Nature" is a little Josh Homme, while "Someone Just Like You" is what Dave Grohl sounds like when he's trying, but the album's best moment is perhaps the gorgeous, slow-burning "Playing With Guns". A song that's composed of great wistful melodies that slowly incinerate the ears with infectious songwriting that makes Beauty Of Youth sound massive while being personal at the same time.

You can't go past songs like "Move", with its buzzsaw guitars and wall of energy, without thinking of all the best rock bands we've heard over the past decade. It's got it all- to a T- but its urgency and hectic nature make it feel all the better. "Something Worthwhile" has got the bright lights and big stages of Glastonbury written all over it. And while their 2015 stint at the festival saw them on the "Introducing..." stage, this song is headlining main stage material.

It is quite an achievement to be as accomplished as Pretty Vicious at such a young age. Even more remarkable that they've survived the industry machine to release such a damn good debut album. Beauty of Youth is a composed, compelling, high energy debut that answers the question, "what became of the likely lads?". They went on to write one of, if not the best, rock records of 2019.

(Big Machine / John Varvatos Records)