Pretty & Nice’s Golden Rules For Golden People is a crisp and full album from the Boston trio. Some of the sounds on the 11-track disc bring a sense of nostalgia and an experimental overtone. Bright riffs and lyrics bring the summertime vibe early with this late April release. Ultimately, Golden Rules For Golden People feels and sounds like if Vampire Weekend and Mika got together and had a musical baby; part trippy beach (or rooftop) party smashed together with catchy hooks and lusty harmonies, smoothing out into a unique experience within its own. Pretty & Nice don’t fall short of captivating and demanding complete attention throughout the release, even with each song’s different ambience.
Because of the various styles on the release like “Mummy Jets” and its jerky instrumentals that have nostalgic video game qualities to it, it’s hard to pick one standout number. However, even though there isn’t much to complain about on the album, “Gold Fools” is a little bland but still contains charming qualities. The mellower, short and dramatic song falls after “Q _ Q,” where the disc reaches its peak. Despite the slight change of pace, “Gold Fools” isn’t so much of a buzzkill to completely ruin the momentum of the album. In fact, towards the end of the album, they add some industrial machine-like noises to the slow-starting “Golden Rules” and close things out with a bit of a chiptune medley with “The Frog” that adds a nice polish to the solid collection.
Craving something different to listen to this summer? Golden Rules For Golden People is the album you’re looking for.
In A Hyphenated Word: Top-notch
