Punk is dead. It died a long time ago. Due to Punk’s absence “Pop Punk” came into favor in the mid 90’s. I am not a fan of Pop Punk, however, in the music landscape of today Pop Punk has an audience (as sad as that maybe). This is where Die Pretty resides.
Forming in 2008, Die Pretty was created by brother and sister Skip and Sarah. They have graced the stage with such acts as Goldfinger and Everclear. They have been compared to Green Day and Pennywise. This gives you a pretty good idea of their sound.
Their latest effort, “Battle Over Brooklyn” is a 3 song EP. It has a good sound quality and is well produced. This polish adds to their pop sound. The music leans towards the pop side similar to bands like Goldfinger or No Doubt. It’s full of fast, catchy and bouncy tunes. The guitars sit up front and play against the rhythm of the drums well. Sarah’s vocals sound similar in style to Gwen Stefani, adding some softness to the music.
“Battle For Brooklyn” isn’t horrible and the crew has some talent. My major complaint about “Battle For Brooklyn” though is that it is all very generic in style. Of the three songs, none of them have any strength behind them. There aren’t any hooks or riffs that really grab you and make you take notice. Sarah’s singing stays soft even during the “harder” moments. It’d be nice to hear her take more of a Joan Jett approach on some of the songs. Vocals that are a bit more rough and aggressive. Overall the sound created on all the songs for the EP feel … safe. They sound like a lot of music that’s been done before, repeatedly.
If you’re a fan of bands like Green Day, No Doubt or Goldfinger I think you will probably like Die Pretty and the “Battle For Brooklyn” EP. If you like some more bite to your music, then you will be disappointed.