Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless Says Latest Album is "No Bullshit, No Frills"

Ahead of The Pretty Reckless’ show at the House of Blues on Sept. 15, we caught up with Taylor Momsen to talk about the band’s latest album and songwriting.

Did you do anything differently in the writing, production, and recording process for Dear God than past The Pretty Reckless projects?

Dear God is probably the least produced album and the one that sounds the most like us. It’s the first album we can just play the whole thing live without too much altering. I feel like I really took a leap in songwriting. I really let go and let the music come to me, no crafting, no bullshit, just real songs, no frills.

This album feels like stepping into your power. Acknowledging struggles, but also honoring your persistence. Can you tell me a bit about the concept for the album and the thematic threads that tie this record together?

It didn’t start as a “concept” album, but by the time we were done there was certainly a theme. A sort of confession of a life that felt like it was being told alone in a bedroom to God or whatever you think it is. It became bigger than the individual parts. The album has to be listened to all the way through to understand it.

“For I Am Death” and “When I Wake Up” do a great job of setting the tone for the album and giving us a look into the protagonist’s point of view. Can you share about the writing process for those tracks and what you wanted to achieve with them, as the listener is first being pulled into the record?

I never write thinking about how it will be heard. “For I Am Death” was an idea of how death is thrust upon us all, and the idea of personifying Death in order to deal with it. “When I Wake Up” was a reflection of how self-destruction is a common aftermath to trauma. How it escalates until you have to decide which path you’re going to choose. To be taken down or save yourself.

“Love Me” feels incredibly personal, but also universally relatable. Can you talk a bit about the inspiration behind that track and how it came about?

I think if you read the lyrics, they’re pretty self-explanatory. But I think that feeling means something different to everyone. My perspective will be different than someone else’s. But in the end we’re all looking for someone to love us.

I want to hear about the title track. I love the existentialism. It feels like surrendering and fighting at the same time. It’s a great mission statement for the record. Can you talk about the making of that song, when you and the band decided it would be the title track, and why that works thematically, for this era?

That song feels like the grand centerpiece to me. This painful story of a person falling apart with themselves, their lover, their age, their body, their life, and then a plea to God to be saved. It kind of says it all and there was really no other choice than to make it the title track to the album. It sums it all up. We are very proud of that track. It was not an easy feat to write and record and not to mention sing.

The social commentary in “Eye Of The Storm” feels so important. What made you want to include a statement like that on this record?

At first, I was worried about being so cliche and obvious about the state of the world. Then as the song evolved it fell into the same world as all the others, a confession of what I see around me and how it has all affected me. I think every generation feels like it’s all gone to hell. I’ve been reading a lot about the civil rights movement era and the turmoil of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Humans have always seemed to be on the brink of self-destruction. But there is always hope in how beautiful the world can be. Who knows what the future will hold.

What are some ways this album feels like a continuation and advancement of the entire The Pretty Reckless discography?

It really feels like the first record of a new band just getting started. In a way it is. After losing our producer Kato, we honored him with our last record Death By Rock and Roll. This record is easily the beginning of something new. There’s so much more to come, it feels like we have hit the restart button on music and life.