In Case You Missed It is Impact’s series about artists who haven’t made it into a very bright spotlight, but have heavily influenced their respective genres and fans.
The Prettiots are a punk trio out of New York that produce relaxing, bubbly music about suicide, skater boys, and Law and Order. Their name, as described to Wonderland Magazine in 2014, is “a made-up term that [the lead vocalist] saw on someone else’s Facebook (. . .). [She] decided it was a good band name, because the most powerful thing [they] can do as a band is be underestimated.”
They have four songs that are easy to find on the Internet. These tracks include:
Boys I Dated In High School
“Boys (I Dated In High School)” a simple, punny jam which involves the trio (Kay Kasparhauser, Lulu Prat, and Rachel Trachtenburg) strumming on ukuleles about jerks they thought were rad but turned out to be, well, total jerks.
Suicide Hotline
“Suicide Hotline” proclaims, “On a scale of one-to-Plath I’m like a four, my head’s not in the oven but I can’t get off the floor.”
“Anyways” is a song where the slow tempo lulls the listener to sleep while Kay sings a semi-revengeful lullaby about getting over heartbreak, announcing, “You broke me, but I wasn’t yours to break.”
Stabler
“Stabler” uses drums and hand claps as an ode to Elliot Stabler, a character portrayed by Christopher Meloni on Law and Order SVU.
The rest of their music comes from live recordings of their SXSW show and other performances, like their appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk. With only four easy-to-find original tracks, they’re currently on tour around the UK.
https://youtu.be/7Z02EvYF8bg
It’s hard to be neutral about The Prettiots — you either love them or hate them. With a vibe reminiscent of high school sleepover movies that go awry, it’s easy to dismiss these bottle-blonde beauties. But, it’s undeniable that they’re pioneers in a new-age form of punk rock: one where girls who play ukulele kick serious ass singing about stuff they love.
