As I’m sure anyone who finds their way to Upstarter can attest to, we all have certain bands in our lives that are absolutely timeless. Heroes of our youth, names we wrote on our backpacks with permanent marker. Bands we saw in their prime while in our prime. They were foundational building blocks of how we shaped our identities, and the soundtracks to some of the best nights of our lives, as well as the ringing in our ears to the worst hangovers of our lives (those actually come later when you’re 46 and have three IPAs in the sun, but that’s not relevant right now). I think for most people, the all-time favorite bands lists pull mostly from our younger years.
Despite the present day affording us the privilege of having nearly every song ever recorded in our pockets, it’s instead the shallow pool of bands that we have ancient personal history with that wind up tattooed on our arms, brains, and hearts forever. Every few years or so though, a new one breaks through. A first ballot hall of famer. A group of people who perhaps draw from a similar library of classics, and are able to incorporate those ingredients into something equally perfect, but also entirely new and their own. The Pretty Flowers are one of those bands for me, and Never Felt Bitter is their new album.
I feel like I need to preface this by saying I’m about as much of a writer as I am a musician. I’m just a middle aged man with Google Docs and a guitar. I wish I had the proper skill to explain to you how and why everything on here is so fantastic. If I leave out any individual member’s contribution, I’m sorry. I don’t really have the vernacular to explain the minutiae of song craft. It sounds very good and I like it a lot, and I’ll probably just have to resort to saying this in as many different ways as I can think of. Get your own friend named Jerry with a URL if you think you can do better.
In preparation for writing this review I queued up the album, and hopped on my bike for a nice springtime tour around Southeast Portland. Just as difficult as it is for me to not get carried away by a new PF record, it is equally hard to not be swept away by the city on one of the first truly warm days of the year. Cherry blossoms everywhere, people walking their dogs and drinking coffee, the low hum of lawns being mowed. During this unbelievably shit time in human history, on this tiny lone droplet of water in the endless dark vacuum of space, I find myself surrounded by beauty just as the opening track “Thief of Time” transitions into the full throttle “To Be So Cool”. I start pedalling faster.
Now, the last two Pretty Flowers albums come out of the gates hot with immediately gripping superhits on track one. On Never Felt Bitter, although “Thief of Time” is a fabulous song, it is more of a slow, meandering opener and clocks in at more than four minutes. As with much of the record, it dabbles in more elaborate instrumentation and song structure, but loses none of the craft that’s made their other output so memorable. It also tees up “To Be So Cool” so well. Sequencing has always been a strength of this band.
“Ocean Swimming” comes on next, and although I’ve only had this album for a few weeks, I can’t believe how familiar with it I am already. Even though some of these songs are slightly different from the rest of their catalog, they fit so seamlessly into it that they’re already occupying the same space in my brain. I even glanced down at my phone thinking that I may have accidentally put an old song on a PF shuffle or something. How do I know this song so well already? These songs almost immediately demand to be sung along to.
“Came Back Kicking” is track four, and I guess you could say it’s the single of Never Felt Bitter. You know it’s a hit ten seconds in, and nothing that happens for the next three and half minutes dissuades you otherwise. I don’t want to disparage it with words, it’s perfect. It’s like the Jaws of songs.
Side A finishes off with two absolute rippers in “Big Dummy” and “Convent Walls”. Both with huge leads, massive hooks and choruses. The traditional Pretty Flowers sound is like a confluence between Promise Ring, Mrs. Magician, and Bum. On Never Felt Bitter, I feel like they’ve also (very successfully) added some Teardrop Explodes into the mix, making the songs a bit more odd while maintaining all of catchiness. This really shines through on these last two songs. Side A = A+.
Side B opens with “Ring True”, my current favorite track on the album (it has changed as many times as there are songs). Thundering rhythm section, and effects laden guitars pound out something fairly different sounding than their other output, but equally excellent.
“Safe & Secure” is next, and contains my favorite line on the record, “You can always call your mom until you can’t”. Another banger, and has an excellent bridge and solo bit that makes it one I frequently come back to.
Another fast one for the title track comes in as song #9. It’s maybe the most aggressive sounding PF song to date, in all the best ways. Often bands will throw in a fast one on their difficult third album to compensate for the change, but this one feels right at home. Some absolutely sick bass lines make it very special.
“Feel A Little Vague” and “Tough Love” follow this up with another example of how strong the sequencing is on here. The former is a slow jam that’s very reminiscent of Mrs. Magician, with a great lead that wouldn’t sound out of place on Starfish by The Church. It pairs so well with the more upbeat and danceable “Tough Love”.
The closer “Not Dissolve” distills down the newer elements of the band that makes Never Felt Bitter an expansion of their sound. It’s long and slow, orchestral, kinda weird, and fantastic. A perfect closing track to this record.
Never Felt Better is absolutely everything you could want from a third album of one of your favorite bands. They “mature”, but all of the elements of what makes them a perennial favorite are still there. It’s an incredibly difficult thing to do, pulling off a run of albums like this to start a band’s career. It’s obviously the highest possible rank of highly recommended. I can’t wait to catch them again on a west coast swing next time they tour. A friendly reminder that I am out of town July 13-17th, so please don’t come then.
Closing thoughts: I feel I need to shout out Tim Pop Kid for introducing me to The Pretty Flowers first record when it came out. Without his persistent enthusiasm, they may have slipped through the cracks. Tim is patient zero for so much of my favorite music, and I owe him a lot for that.
Cheers.
Zach Nellis-Tessmer
