The Pretty Reckless are an alternative rock band hailing from gritty New York City. The musical quartet consists of Taylor Momsen on vocals, Ben Phillips on guitar, Mark Damon on bass, and Jamie Perkins on drums.

Following the success of their third studio album Who You Selling For, The Pretty Reckless are set to release their fourth full-length Death By Rock and Roll on February 12. This album is a real turning point for the band after the death of Momsen’s musical icon, Chris Cornell from Soundgarden, in 2017. Eleven months leading on from this, the group’s long-time friend and producer Kato was killed in a deadly motorbike accident. “There was no way to hide from this,” explains Momsen. “There was no running from what happened. I didn’t have to ‘write’ it; it was just infused into what we’re doing.”

The first track is the self-titled ‘Death By Rock and Roll’. This song is all about living life to the fullest and, contrastingly, also going out the way you wish. Momsen spoke about the song saying, “It has our whole mentality in the lyrics. It’s not a morbid song. It’s, ‘I’m going to live my way; I’m going out my way’. That’s the rock and roll ethic. It’s empowering.”

The next song is ‘Only Love Can Save Me Now’ featuring ex Soundgarden member Matt Cameron and current guitarist Kim Thayil, which marks a turn in the band’s typical sound to a more grunge-tinged effort. The track was also recorded at the same studio as Soungarden’s release Louder Than Love — coincidence much?

Next up is the track ‘And So It Went’ featuring Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello. This song sums up the madness of the world we live in right now, complete with a powerful guitar riff throughout. Then there’s promotional single ’25’, a nod towards Momsen’s life at that point.

‘My Bones’ is a catchy, gritty rock number with a powerful chorus that will get you well and truly hooked. Next is ‘Got So High’, which talks about using recreational substances as a coping mechanism. This breaks up the heavy rock sound as it is an emotionally charged acoustic number.

‘Broomsticks’ is a short interlude on the album, which was released as a single on Halloween last year. Carrying on with the spooky theme, we then have ‘Witches Burn’, which is exploring more sexually explicit themes.

‘Standing At The Wall’ is another acoustic nod, speaking about Momsen’s struggles with depression and loneliness following the difficult few years she has faced. Following this is ‘Turning Gold’. It is a song all about how she is slowly healing from past traumas with some optimism. ‘Rock and Roll Heaven’ almost has a slight country vibe about it. Momsen croons over a slow guitar riff about her childhood experiences with music and life. The last track is ‘Harley Darling’, which is an obvious ode to Kato’s devastating death.

Death By Rock and Roll is due to be released on Friday, February 12. Overall, this is one of the best compilations from The Pretty Reckless yet and is sure to satisfy any fan!