By: Caryn GanzWHO: Seattle punks incongruously named after a Smiths song.Their rock genealogy is fairly incestuous; members have all loggedtime in several overlapping bands, including Murder City Devils andKill Sadie. SOUND LIKE: On The New Romance, PrettyGirls’ relentlessly experimental follow-up to 2001’sGood Health, singer Andrea Zollo seizes the reins with herfearlessly riot grrrl roar, propelled by a frenzy of zigzaggingguitars.
“We have limitless [musical] options,” drummer Nick DeWitt says brightly. “Maybe I’ll hold a cello in front of my face and scream into the back of it while everybody claps.”WITHOUT THE HELP OF DR. PHIL: The group found a way to defuse their intra-band tension. “We had to make a rule about how much you can drink before you play,” Zollo says. Adds guitarist Jay Clark: “It’s like I’ve got four girlfriends now.” WHAT MAKES THEM MOPE LIKE MORRISSEY: Constant comparisons to Sleater-Kinney and At the Drive-In (“Totally inaccurate,” says bassist Derek Fudesco)–plus the occasional reference to a certain loudmouthed celebutot who checked out the band’s live show before launching her own singing venture. “People say I look like Kelly Osbourne,” says Zollo. “It’s a bummer.”
