Pretty Wild - 'Pretty Wild'

Wonderfully crisp production, snappy guitar solos and immense choruses, what's not to like?

I admit that the debut album from Sweden's Pretty Wild completely passed me by back in 2008. This was probably because I'd just dismissed them as yet another trashy Sleaze Rock band. Turns out I was wrong...

Sure, they look like a typical Sleaze/Glam band, but thankfully they don't go in for the ridiculous stage names. Undeniably it's Sleaze that underpins the PW sound, though it's less Hardcore Superstar and Crashdiet and more in the style of Crazy Lixx and Reckless Love. But in all honesty PW owes more to the likes of Firehouse, Trixter and Danger Danger due to the huge grooves, powerful melodies and sing-along choruses. Certainly a healthy selection of the songs on 'Pretty Wild' wouldn't sound out of place on that awesome Firehouse debut, partly down to the fact that vocalist Ivan Ivve Höglund has a similar style to C.J. Snare.



The whole album is packed full of eighties Stadium Rock styled anthems, no less than fourteen of 'em; from the Hard-Rockin' groove of opening salvo 'Are You Ready', 'Get It On' and 'Troubled Water', through the more melodic and hook-filled 'Alive', 'Ready To Go', 'Blow The Night', 'Come Out Tonight' (which owes a debt of gratitude to Wig Wam), 'Hold On' and 'Pretty Wild'. If that isn't enough there is the high-tempo 'Staring At The Sun' and harder-edged 'Wildside' as well as the genuinely classy ballads 'All I Want', 'High Enough' (not the Damn Yankees one) and 'Vampire'. There is certainly not a filler in sight.

Wonderfully crisp production, snappy guitar solos and immense choruses, what's not to like? The Swedes have gone and done it again and it looks like I'll have to track down the debut album and eat some humble pie.

Ant Heeks