Upcoming Releases
In a time where life seems more disconnected than ever, Pretty Atomic shows that even distance doesn’t mean isolation. Featuring former members of Chicago punk bands Shot Baker, No Enemy!, and 88 Fingers Louie, Pretty Atomic is ready to release their first single “Life Now” off their 4-song debut EP, Idle Age, out on Friday, June 6.
It wasn’t fully intentional for 3 of the 4 members of Shot Baker to join this project. Initially singer Tony Kovacs (Shot Baker) phoned longtime friend Andy Maggio (No Enemy) about working on some songs together. After kicking around some potential partners, it just made sense to work with people that we knew would understand what we want to do and had the work ethic to put in the effort it would take. So Chris Gach (Shot Baker, The Dorks) quickly joined on drums and Nat Wright (Shot Baker, 88 Fingers Louie) joined in on bass. The biggest challenge? Time and distance. Tony lives in Fort Collins, CO. while the rest of the band is scattered across the Chicago area.
“We immediately began sharing song ideas and demos by uploading them to a cloud drive. Each of us would add parts as we tweaked and developed these songs,” explains Maggio. “Once happy with the songs, we recorded drums at Chris’s house and sent those tracks around, each adding our parts again. We’ve never all been in the same room together since the inception of this project.” That doesn’t really matter though. Having known each other for decades and all playing in projects together at some point left few hurdles when it came to the creative process.
Once tracking was done, all the files were sent to Dan Precision (88 Fingers Louie, Rise Against) to be mixed at his Bombshelter recording studio. The band’s long-time relationship with Dan having recorded and mixed both Shot Baker full-length albums along with other projects in the past ensured there’d be low friction in getting these songs to sound just how they were imagined.
The first single “Life Now” tells the story of someone returning from being away and finding a world they no longer recognize. It’s part coming of age and part finding ridiculousness in the modern world. The lyric video uses mundane moments from old found home movies to paint a visual metaphor, along with the lyrics, of the commonalities we all share no matter the era. It’s like an act we perform over and over again.
“While the sound isn’t a huge departure from the earnest melodic punk and clearly Chicago influenced sound that Shot Baker was known for, there’s an added mix of pop and melancholy that is infused into the music. Partly from age and maturity but also new paerspectives towards the song-writing process. The aggression remains, but we added harmonies and diversified our sound,” says Kovacs.
Even with the band’s physical separation, they still proudly identify as a Chicago band. A place that has shaped their sound and given birth to their punk ethos. Pretty Atomic embodies the belief that music is not just a hobby but a lifeline.
Idle Age tracklist:
- We’re Not Alone
- Life Now
- Moral of Today
- We Connect
