The Pretty Wild

About The Pretty Wild

The Pretty Wild emerged from Manchester in 2014, which tells you most of what you need to know about their sound before you've heard a single note. Three friends who met at university and spent too much time arguing about whether Joy Division or The Strokes were more influential decided to split the difference and start a band.

They gigged around northern England for two years before anyone outside their immediate circle paid attention. That changed when BBC Radio 1 picked up Vengeance in late 2016. The track had everything the post-punk revival needed at that moment: jagged guitars, a bassline that actually mattered, and vocals delivered with just enough detachment to sound cool without trying too hard. They signed to Fiction Records three months later.

Their debut album Static dropped in 2017 and did exactly what a debut should do. It established their sound without overthinking it. The title track became their calling card at festivals, though Neon was the one that got them onto playlists and into rooms with people who could actually help their career. Critics compared them to Interpol and Editors, which was fair enough, though they had more energy than either of those bands bothered with by that point.

The follow-up took three years. Fade Out arrived in 2020, which was terrible timing for a band that built their reputation on live shows. The album was darker and more atmospheric than Static, trading some of the rawness for layered production that not everyone was ready for. Electric Dreams stood out as the most immediate track, built around a synth line that their earlier work wouldn't have touched. Some longtime fans complained about the electronic elements. Those fans were boring.

They spent the pandemic doing what everyone else did: writing, recording demos in home studios, wondering if venues would still exist when this was over. They released a handful of singles in 2021 and 2022 that suggested they were leaning further into the synth-driven direction, though nothing landed with quite the impact of their earlier work.

By 2023 they were back on the festival circuit, playing to crowds that actually remembered them. No third album yet, which either means they're being careful or they're stuck. They've been in the studio on and off, according to their Instagram, but details are thin. The songs they've been playing live suggest they haven't abandoned the guitar entirely, but they're definitely not trying to recreate Static again.

Right now they're in that middle zone where they're too established to be called up-and-coming but not quite big enough to headline the major festivals. They tour steadily, still draw decent crowds, and make music that sounds like it comes from people who actually care about it. Which is more than you can say for most bands ten years in.

Tight, deliberate sets in smaller rooms. They don't play for the casual listener—the crowd is there specifically for them, which changes everything. Minimal banter, maximum focus on the songs. Sound engineer probably matters more than the venue itself.

Known for Vengeance, Static, Neon, Fade Out, Electric Dreams

See The Pretty Wild Live