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Meet PrettyUgly, the LA-based alternative it-band merging powerhouse vocals with an indie-fusion of sounds. 

The band is comprised of Parker Chrisbens (vocals), Quinn Smialek (guitar), and Joey Cavallo (guitar), a trio of writers, producers, and friends with a penchant for genre-bending pop-rock earworms. PrettyUgly seamlessly slips their way between melodies enveloped in Lorde-like harmonies and guitars cut with the grit of 2010s alternative staples. As a fledgling musical group with only 4 singles out to date, the trio is already pulling off a rebellion against genre-pigeonholing that many emerging bands at the crossroads of contrasting influences have yet to nail.

While “Eat My Words” is a dark, driven landscape full of villainesque guitar riffs and drum fills, earlier singles like “The Line” reveal a pop-twinged earnestness within the band’s rock-centric style. Ethereal synths soften the sharp edges of a haunting progression and Chrisbens' biting vocal performance. PrettyUgly’s latest single, “LALALA,” lives the most freely at the intersection pop and rock, a perfectly layered cocktail of influences to depict the band’s depth of sound. 

Chrisbens lays an ominous melody down as the foundation, inviting crisp percussion and lofty synths to slowly embellish the edges of the track. The vocal layers have a shining moment in “LALALA,” painting an atmospheric scene in the bridge, but it should be noted that Chrisbens' raspy modern-alternative-meets-Miley-Cyrus vocal style is an undeniably universal signature in PrettyUgly’s sound.  By the final chorus, PrettyUgly has led us far down the winding path of “LALALA”’s allure, letting a heaviness infuse distorted guitars and vocals that finally release the tension of the song’s buildup. With each new single, listeners get to know the unique touch of each band member – Smialek and Cavallo’s duo of sinfully gritty, yet melodic guitar solos, and Chrisbens' simultaneously catchy and commanding leads. 

OnesToWatch had the pleasure of hosting PrettyUgly at our recent event with American Apparel, where we welcomed creatives from across the country to a happy hour showcase following the Long Beach Impressions Expo. The band premiered “LALALA” alongside a set of originals and captivating reimaginings of Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” and Janis Joplin’s iconic, “Piece of My Heart.” 

Listen to “LALALA” below: