Pretty: ‘Burning Money’ and the Dread of ‘Where You’ll Be When the World Is Gone’
Toronto’s Pretty recently released their new single, ‘Burning Money,’ and it arrives as the first glimpse into their second album, ‘Where You’ll Be When the World Is Gone,’ which is set to drop later this summer.
The Toronto group has spent a decade moving through various shades of volume, but this new material feels like they have finally stopped looking for an exit and decided to just document the fire.
The band calls this “apocalypse rock for the children of the imperial core.” It’s a heavy label, but it fits. The song is built on a rhythm that feels like it could go on forever, a motorik rhythm that makes you want to move even as the lyrics talk about the guilt of watching the world fall apart from a safe distance. It captures that specific brand of 2026 anxiety, where you are safe, fed, and bored, yet entirely aware that the ground is shifting under your feet.
Pretty didn’t start out with this much clarity. When Torin Craig started the band in 2015, it was a messy project rooted in grunge and hardcore. The name was a bit of a joke, a sarcastic middle finger to the abrasive noise they were making in Toronto basements. Over the years, Craig stayed as the only constant while the band went through various iterations. By the time they released ‘Sertraline Dream’ in 2020, they had started to trade the aggression for something more hypnotic.
The current lineup-Craig, Eliot Rossi, William Macquarrie, and Morgan Zych-has been solid since 2021. The new record also features Brian Heyes on synths, adding a layer of cold, electronic dread to their usual guitar-driven sound. While Heyes isn’t a permanent touring member anymore, his influence on the recording is obvious.
As we head into the summer, ‘Where You’ll Be When the World Is Gone’ is shaping up to be a “fun” record of our current collective breakdown. ‘Burning Money’ is the starting gun for a band that has finally found its voice by staring directly into the sun.
Headline photo: Liv Brolley & Parker Wales
Pretty Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
