A mysterious door. A vixen’s key. The constant essence of mortality surrounding us in the cryptic white visuals filling the screen, juxtaposed with a black-clad rock n’ roll band. There’s something viciously dark about the new music video for Pretty Awkward’s single “Bored,” but unlike some of the other releases I would describe similarly, there’s nothing particularly self-indulgent about the confessions transpiring in this piece.
SMART URL: https://orcd.co/pabored
The gothic undertow that follows the band from the jump is mostly curbed by the poppy sensibilities lying just beneath the surface-level cosmetics of the video – after all, anyone who has listened to Pretty Awkward prior to now knows their sound is a lot more The Killers than it is The Cure. “Bored” sees them offering the world their most multidimensional work thus far inside of a three minute single/video combo, and although it doesn’t necessarily expand on the skillset they’d already introduced us to with “Dangerous Love” or the recently released “Misfits,” it definitely gives greater insight into their aesthetical depth as it has grown this past year. This has been an unconventional era for the rock genre, and rightly, this unconventional band is finding their way to the top of the heap this season.
The guitars in this single are more the canvas than the paint, but I wouldn’t look at this is an act of rebellion against the concept of loud n’ proud riffing ala classic rock. Frankly, the lyrics are so deeply emotional when we isolate them from the instrumental elements in this song that trying to force a riff or even a mild string part to compete with their grand level of communication simply wouldn’t be fair. I didn’t need to see the music video to appreciate the cerebral element in the narrative, but after taking its shots in and framing them against the theme I was already picking up in “Bored,” there’s no getting around just how powerful a message they’re trying to send here. They’ve got something to say about death that isn’t packaged in the typical fashion at all whatsoever, and it can be translated in both the contrast and the consistency they’re including in this performance.
SHAZAM: https://www.shazam.com/track/536544334/bored
If you weren’t listening to Pretty Awkward before hearing “Bored” for the first time this December, something tells me you’re going to be a fan by the time 2020 has shifted into 2021. This isn’t the only song by this group to have given me some excitement in 2020 – the other being “Misfits,” which is also worth a spin if you’re into contemporary pop/rock – and my gut tells me that they’re going to be even more active in the next year than they were in these past twelve months. I can’t wait to see them live on stage when concerts finally start up again, and if they’re wise, Pretty Awkward won’t wait on touring in favor of dropping a proper LP; theirs is a momentum that requires action, and after this latest release, I think they’re clearly ready to take this show on the road.
Troy Johnston