The Struts, The Snuts, The Strokes, it all rings the same to a man bunged up with flu. Every sip a nightmare, every tone a horror. But Pretty Vicious is not a record to be slept on. Their latest record glitters on as a piece which can make you go “oooh” without really knowing you’re forming an interjection. Catchy strokes and strums to opener Too Good at Raising Hell have a surprising warmth to them, and The Struts lean into their glam rock showcase with a real love for the genre. A missing piece of British rock is put back into its rightful place with an exceptional release – an album which blurs the line between classic, upbeat songs from the turn of the century and the archaic, never-changing guitar rock structure.
Big band feels and a real appeal through this brass-backed opener fade off into the background and make space for some more traditionally oriented rock pieces. Title track Pretty Vicious is a brooding little number, with a slightly darker flow to it but holds firm with exceptional guitar playing, a constant and admirably steady percussion planted deep within and the influences of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC on Luke Spiller are made clear. They move themselves far away from the sonic sounds of those who inspired them, thankfully so. This is not a Greta Van Fleet replication; this is pure love for a genre not quite in the spotlight with contemporary artists. The likes of I Won’t Run are more standard, stock riffs and sentimental simplicity – but Pretty Vicious needs those breaks.
Heartbreak horrors on Hands on Me struggle against the tide of obvious change but do well to steady course when the recognition of absent love is made. Moving on is not as easy as understanding the problem – fixing it is the hard part. The Struts turn a fairly standard message and sprinkle in those mouldy dishes, those signs of mental fatigue, and bring out a surprisingly strong song. Do What You Want and Rockstar hit about as well as middle album rock tracks do. Chirpy in the latter, repetitive in the former. Both fine offerings. Queen-oriented in their structure and vocal pace but not a lick of similarities beyond this. Remember The Name elicits a bigger-than-life frontman, something music is no longer in great supply of. Whether we can whack The Struts next to Mick Jagger just yet is yet to be seen, but the kicks and creativity are certainly drawing a few slight parallels.
Remember the Name highlights this more than anything – an octave lower and The Struts could be a ‘Stones cover band. Regretful structure for Bad Decisions is a tad too simple, a half-baked effort which works on the obvious changes made by titular troubles. The lacking energy and black-and-white formation of this one strikes as generic in the worst ways – a dumbing down of where the band can head. No grey spots, just good or bad. Like a Marvel movie for the ears with half-hearted but well-played guitar riffs. The Struts struggle with their tone from time to time but ultimately have a strong release in the form of Pretty Vicious. It is not as biting as its title would suggest, but there are more than a few moments here which rise to the occasion.
