A lyrically sardonic breath of fresh air – that’s the best way to describe this. I’m talking about NYC indie pop duo, The Prettiots, and their newest LP, Funs Cool. Lead vocalist, Kay Kasparhauser, glides along with some serious Victoria Legrand and Dolores O’Riordan vibes, while bassist Lulu Landolfini brings in a serious punk feel (not to mention a killer Winehouse cat eye). The two come together to sing about, well, Elliot Stabler.
At first listen, The Prettiots feel like the Juno soundtrack gone horribly wrong – some combo of the uke, the dream pop harmonies, and the simplistic lyrics. However, once you make it through what feels like the covers you posted on YouTube in ninth grade, you realize that these girls are pretty much the antichrist version of Zooey Deschanel. And it’s so awesome. The cuteness is really a reflection not of simplicity, but of bluntness. They’re not going to write a flowery song, because they hate you, and they could just say that!
Their previously released single, “Boys (That I Dated In High School)” feels like the song you recorded under your duvet before graduation as you reflected on your human experience thus far – it’s a diss track (because duh, you hate your high school) but there’s also a bit of sweet nostalgia there. Even though they rhyme “texting” and “next thing” while hating on their ex-boyfriends, it’s the catchiest song about stupid boys I’ve ever heard.
“Anyways…,” which is essentially an unrequited love song about being in the right place at the wrong time, feels like the girl pop equivalent of Radiohead’s “Creep.” It’s a self-deprecating slow jam about being too sucky for someone you like. “I knew you were no good when we met / But I wasn’t ready for good yet,” Kasparhauser purrs with an emotion that feels pretty reflective of good old early-20s “I hate myself but I want a boyfriend” vibe.
The duo definitely hit the nail on the head when it comes to injecting their youth into the tracks. “10/10 Would Chill Again,” one of my personal favorites, is basically a spoken word montage of teen girl tweets, something that should feel tacky but instead feels super genuine. Classic.
The highlight of the LP is definitely the cover. The girls cover “Skulls” by Misfits, and it is an absolute delight. I never thought a Misfits song needed a Dido-esque vocal and a uke treatment, but I was so wrong. “Hack the heads off little girls / And put them on my wall,” Kasparhauser sings as I shed a single tear; her vocals bring a sensitivity and beauty to the song that is totally unique, and super impressive (it’s the damn Misfits, okay).
The Prettiots definitely did something to me, and I’m not exactly sure what it is, but I kind of dig it (and now I want to write a diss track about my ex).