The Pretty Reckless is an American rock band from New York. The current members are Taylor Momsen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ben Phillips (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Damon (bass) and Jamie Perkins (drums).
Their debut album, Light Me Up, was released on August 30, 2010 in the UK. They released their first single on May 13, 2010. For two years singer and rhythm guitarist Taylor Momsen worked with several producers before meeting Kato Khandwala.[1] Momsen has said that she liked Khandwala because he was a rock producer as opposed to a pop producer.[1] Khandwala introduced Momsen to Ben Phillips[2] and the three of them began to write songs together. Three unnamed musicians were hired to form the band with Momsen.[3] The band were originally called The Reckless but had to change the name due to trademark problems.[4] The band played its first concert on May 5, 2009 at The Annex in New York.[3][5][6] After seven concerts the lineup of the band was changed.[3] The new lineup of the band consisted of Momsen with John Secolo (guitar), Matt Chiarelli (bass) and Nick Carbone (drums).[7] The second line-up of the band also played its first concert at The Annex on June 3, 2009.[3] They recorded some demos in early 2009 and they opened for The Veronicas on their North American tour.[7] In 2010 Secolo, Chiarelli and Carbone left the band.
At present, Taylor Momsen is the singer and rhythm guitarist, with Ben Phillips on lead guitar, Mark Damon on bass, and Jamie Perkins on drums.[7][8]
Momsen stated in an interview with OK! Magazine that the band signed with Interscope Records and would be releasing their debut album in 2010. In another interview, Momsen briefly discussed the sound of the band, saying it would be "not what people are going to expect" and will feature a dark and heavy sound but would have "lighter, fun stuff as well." In an interview with MTV, Momsen revealed the influences on the band include The Beatles and Oasis, along with grunge band Nirvana. She also stated that her personal influences include Kurt Cobain and Joan Jett.[9] After the band announced they had signed to Interscope Records, two new recordings of demo songs ("He Loves You" and "Zombie") were posted on their Myspace.
On December 30, 2009, the band released a new promo song entitled "Make Me Wanna Die". The song was uploaded for free since and was offered as a download to fans on their Interscope Records website for a limited amount of time.[10] The band launched "Make Me Wanna Die" on the soundtrack to the 2010 film Kick-Ass.[7] The song was the band's first single, and was released on May 17, 2010, with the debut album set to be released in August.[8] On April 9, 2010, they performed during the "Vans Warped Tour 2010 Kick-Off Party" and performed at The Bamboozle music festival on May 1, 2010. They played the entire Warped Tour 2010.[11]
Their first EP was released on June 22, 2010, with mixed reactions. Most critics praised the lyrics and production, however Rolling Stone magazine classified the sound as "generic".[12] It contained four songs, three of which can be found on their debut album: "Make Me Wanna Die", "My Medicine", and "Goin' Down". The first single "Make Me Wanna Die" was released on May 17, 2010 and was #1 on the UK Rock Chart for six weeks. A viral video was released to promote the single, and the band announced that the official version would be released soon. The full record is due to be released on August 31, 2010.
The band announced the album title as Light Me Up through Myspace. They also confirmed several song names, including "You", "Miss Nothing", "Just Tonight", "Since You're Gone" and the title-track "Light Me Up". The album is produced by Khandwala and entirely written by Momsen and Phillips. The album will be released on August 30, 2010 in UK and August 31, 2010 worldwide.
The song "Miss Nothing" was the second single to be released from "Light Me Up", on August 9, 2010. It was aired exclusively on the British radio station, BBC Radio 1, on July 22, 2010. The band introduced it as their next UK single after a show on the Warped Tour.[13] A video for "Miss Nothing" was released on July 20 on Vevo.
The US release of Light Me Up was delayed, not being released until February 2011. The album was received well, so far reaching number 4 on iTunes. The first single released in the US officially was Just Tonight, which was the third single released in Australia and United Kingdom among other countries.
