The Boston Band of the week is brought to you by our content partner Allston Pudding, which is a Boston based music blog that highlights new and live music from the local music scene and beyond. Each week, Allston Pudding will highlight awesome local acts that they feel should be on your radar. For more about music from Boston and elsewhere, be sure to check out Allston Pudding.
Who: Pretty & Nice
A little bit of background: Pretty & Nice is a Boston trio that you better hear about now – before it’s too late. Originating in 2005, Pretty & Nice has shared the stage with the likes of Built to Spill, Miniature Tigers, Jukebox the Ghost, and many more. Beginning with Holden Lewis and his childhood best friend Jeremy Mendicino, the two set out as “two best friends trying to make the music in their heads a reality.” Since then, they’ve joined up with Roger Lussier and have spent years making hooky, disjointed, dancey, indie pop.
Their 2008 release “Get Young” got national hype, the follow-up record landed them on a European tour. Their timeline has been a series of ups and downs (particularly when the band’s van was robbed earlier this year, in their hometown of all places). Despite the fluctuations, Pretty & Nice has seen it all in Boston and has been fused into the backbone of the local scene. This month, the band announced an indefinite hiatus with their latest release “Infinitely Forever.”
Sounds kinda like: indie pop
Why you should care: “[Pretty & Nice] has been playing shows for longer than a lot of us have been writing about them and their career has outlasted many other Boston bands and music trends. It goes without saying that they will continue to be important to us, even as they take a break or stop playing shows. Their mark on Boston rock history is a substantial one, thick with good tunes, and amazing attitudes…the kind of magic that Pretty & Nice managed to create is irreplaceable and unforgettable.”
Fun fact: Surely bands get tired of being asked, “what’s the story behind your name?” Every interview with Pretty & Nice has a different answer, notably this fictional story and this mumble about a Sumarian text. Lewis noted in an interview with “Reverb,” “Wherever it came from isn’t important, but it’s two words that mean absolutely nothing to most people. You hear a billion bands names and you have an expectation. But ours doesn’t really bring to mind anything, so it just gets associated with us and the way we sound and what we do.”
Press play: Check out this video for “Q_Q” that the band shot in A SINGLE DAY at SXSW 2013.
Like what you hear? If you’re uber late to this bandwagon, you’ve got one last shot. This Saturday. Don’t screw it up.
Allston Pudding & Boston Hassle present
Pretty & Nice
w/Ava Luna, Krill, Infinity Girl
Saturday, August 16
Great Scott
1222 Comm. Ave, Allston, MA
9:00 p.m. – 21+ – $8
