Spotlight: Third Time’s the Charm for Pretty Ugly
WHENEVER THERE’S A PROMISING GROUP ON THE CUSP OF STARDOM — the peanut gallery plots to dissect and separate the camaraderie between the group’s members. The stans single out a star or hyper-focus on out-of-context body language. The script rarely flips so that people root for congregation. The newly announced outfit Pretty Ugly is a three-piece combo with a side of bloodied instruments. Composed of former solo artist and The Luna Collective alum PARKER (Parker Goff Chrisbens) and her bandmates/producers/ex-managers Joey Cavallo and Quinn Smialek, Pretty Ugly announces themselves with their first official song, “Eat My Words”.
Humans are generally reluctant to change, but this rebrand felt more natural than most. Pretty Ugly doesn’t change much of the dynamic between Goff Chrisbens, Smialek, and Cavallo. The three friends, who met during college in New York, collectively worked on Parker’s recent singles, “Loose Teeth” and “The Line.” Cavallo and Smialek handed their managerial duties to their new manager, Ally Duesbury. It fulfills the dual function of filling the “hole in the market for female-fronted bands” and allows everyone else to solely concentrate on the art.
“They’re just in the pictures with me now,” Goff Chrisbens says of the creative development. “We’ve always written the music together, so it was more of an aesthetic choice.”
Assembling Pretty Ugly — named after PARKER’s merch brand — makes Goff Chrisbens feel more secure. Marketing yourself as a solo artist can be “lonely” when Cavallo and Smialek “[did] the same amount of work” yet remained the only subject in promotional material.
Pretty Ugly also allows Cavallo and Smialek to feel more aligned with the lyrical subject matter. Goff Chrisbens was always receptive to their contributions, but there were bits of “hesitation,” lest it stray too far from her personal experiences. Forming the band removes the thin filter and homogenizes the ideas.
“It allows us to focus on writing, producing, and creating music, rather than semi fuck-up everything [else],” Smialek chuckles.
The revamp paves the way for clearer runway into uncharted territory. Pretty Ugly can be one and the same, or they can exist as separate musical ideas. Previous singles fluctuate between “happy-go-lucky” and “leaning into the darkness,” but “Eat My Words” explores a “heavier punk-ish metal song.” The band’s ripping introduction also combines synthetic EDM elements with live instrumentation reminiscent of Django Reinhardt/Romani jazz, delivering a sensory rollercoaster that feels both organic and daring.
The equity of the band brings even more open-mindedness. Rather than splitting every task between the trio, “Eat My Words” features additional production from Robert Cavallo, Don Miggs, and Mike Pappas.
“[We can] focus more on being artists,” Joey Cavallo explains. “We have the band we need, but let’s find extra producers and others to work with.”
If the band learned anything, it's that grinding everything out by yourself can be exhaustive and inefficient. Even with “Eat My Words” under wraps, Pretty Ugly is a product of evolution and community unfolding in real time. The new moniker evokes a familiar sound that can bewilder at any given moment.
At long last, Pretty Ugly is here. Better together, and better than ever.
