Album Reviews
Formed in 2013 in Los Angeles by songwriter Noah Green and solidifying their lineup in 2018 with Sam Tiger (bass, backing vocals), Jake Gideon (guitar, backing vocals) and Sean Johnson (drums, percussion), The Pretty Flowers have been spreading power pop goodness for years. After blossoming with 2018’s Why Trains Crash and 2023’s A Company Sleeve, they now - to take the flower metaphor one step further — bloom into a beautiful bouquet on their third album, Never Felt Bitter.
With new label home Forge Again Records behind them, The Pretty Flowers deliver a dozen new songs on Never Felt Bitter that showcase the band’s knack for wrapping catchy melodies in high-energy hooks. From the twang-enhanced opener ‘Thief Of Time’ and the relentless ‘To Be So Cool’ to the downright beautiful ‘Ocean Swimming’ and the driving, ridiculously upbeat ‘Came Back Kicking’, the album gets off to an amazing start. Elsewhere, we are treated to the pure power pop goodness of ‘Convent Walls’ and the slightly scuzzier brawler ‘Never Felt Bitter (We Burn)’.
The band still isn’t shy about wearing their love for Superchunk, The Replacements and Teenage Fanclub on their sleeves, but they are flexing their songwriting chops more than ever on these new songs, making Never Felt Bitter their best release to date. And if you’ve heard their previous releases, you know that’s saying something.
Never Felt Bitter track listing:
- Thief of Time
- To Be So Cool
- Ocean Swimming
- Came Back Kicking
- Big Dummy
- Convent Walls
- Ring True
- Safe & Secure
- Never Felt Bitter (We Burn)
- Feel a Little Vague
- Tough Love
- Not Dissolve
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
