Greyscale Broadcast
Prettymess
Melbourne band, Prettymess have followed up the pop excellence of their EP Surface Glow with the new long player, Greyscale Broadcast. It charts the band’s progression and shows a group in command of the elements that makes pop music worthwhile, melody, harmony and catchy writing. I contacted John Baxter from the band to get a few comments on the individual tracks, here is what I got.
Leaving Look
“Co-written with Danny McDonald and a live favourite, Leaving Look is about living dishonestly with yourself and your partner. It’s about irreversibly damaging an important connection by sending out deceptive signals to a person who wholeheartedly trusts and believes in you.”
Tripping
“My take on living in Melbourne and the highs and lows of being in a band. Dealing with the general perception that you’re making big bucks… and you’re not, that you’re playing cover songs… and you’re not, and that your life consists of hanging (‘tripping’) around drinking beer and watching Judge Judy everyday… and you’re not!”
All I Care About
“This is a song I wrote about a friend of mine living in a country town who is paralysed by drugs. Being unemployed and living in night shift mode, he suffers from delusions of grandeur. Always planning his escape to a better life, he’s envious of others who are successful and making something of themselves.”
Rescue Me
“Contrary to popular belief, this is another song about life as an artist. Often justifiably mistaken as a desperate cry for love, Rescue Me is a metaphor about looking for acceptance as a musician.”
Never Let You Down
“This is a personal song about a family member and abandonment. Without elaborating on all the details, it’s about unconditional family loyalty and always being there for someone in a time of need.”
The One
“Lyrically co-written with Kerrie Hickin from Holocene, this is a song about living with depression, and the difficulty of facing each day of your life, finding support, understanding and guidance from someone special.”
Falling Pins
“Another live favourite for us, it’s about one of my sisters who dropped off the radar for 10 years. Drifting around the world on her own without any real sense of direction, she eventually ended up in Northern England - hence the reference to the Northern Sea in the chorus. I can gladly say she’s back home again!”
Pictures
“A song about a friend of mine, who tragically committed suicide in his bedroom after his girlfriend left him for another bloke. It’s a sad story about a slow and painful death at a very young age. It was written quite a long time ago and has been difficult to sing and play until recently. As a band we decided it should be on the album and it’s turned out to be one of our favourites.”
Astronaut
“This song is about the end of a long term relationship between myself and close mate. A friendship and bond that developed over many years and through difficult times, it seemed unbreakable but was sadly abandoned for personal opportunity.”
Escape
“Escape is about your first love and how at a young age, it can be either wonderful or devastating. This song is about the pain and confusion of finding out that the person you’ve fallen in love with, is being abused at home and who is subsequently taken away from you through circumstances out of your control.”
Consciousness
“A personal favourite, it was written when I was living on my own. It’s about self imposed exile and dealing with loneliness and the sense of despair that follows, and trying to find a way to break the daily esteem shattering routine by questioning everything - from your appearance to your personality.”
Thanks John. Greyscale Broadcast is available now wherever good music is sold.
Rob Hudson
official site

To have a listen to a couple of tracks from the album use the links below.
Tripping
All I Care About