Pretty Sick, led by Sabrina Fuentes, has shared “Black Tar,” the second single from their forthcoming debut album Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile, out Sept. 30 via Dirty Hit. The London-by-way-of-New York City band also announced their return to the States with a 21-date headlining tour, which will kick off in October following their U.K. and Ireland run supporting beabadoobee.
The follow-up to “Human Condition,” Fuentes pulls back the curtain on “confusing feelings brought on by a suffocating, toxic relationship” on “Black Tar.” There’s a gentle sense of resignation as Fuentes mistakes pain for pleasure, admitting, “Covered in a thick black layer of tar / I can’t breathe / But I feel so warm and smooth.” The band swap out their trademark razor-sharp riffs and early-’90s nostalgia for a different kind of heaviness, one that is sustained through soul-stirring strings and the sinking feeling that Fuentes’ spectral vocals evoke. Instead of tearing into a thundering chorus, Pretty Sick maintains a precarious balance that keeps Fuentes desperately trying to become whatever the other person wants through the last echoing notes of the song.
Find a complete list of Pretty Sicks’ upcoming tour dates and “Black Tar” below.
Pretty Sick Tour Dates:
October
04 – Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia Theatre*
05 – Belfast, UK @ Ulster Hall*
07 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Bristol*
08 – Norwich, UK @ University of East Anglia Union – The Nick Rayns LCR*
10 – Nottingham, UL @ Rock City*
11 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ O2 Academy Newcastle*
13 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy*
14 – Sheffield, UK @ Foundry*
15 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom*
17 – Brighton, UK @ Chalk*
18 – Southhampton, UK @ Engine Rooms*
19 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton*
24 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
25 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
26 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
28 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
31 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
November
01 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile – Madame Lou’s
03 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of Th Hill
05 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
06 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
08 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
10 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
11 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
12 – Denton, TX @ Andy’s Bar & Grill
14 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records – Blue Room
15 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
17 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
18 – Washington, DC @ DC9
19 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
20 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
21 – New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom
(* = supporting beabadoobee)