Twins Ginger and Joey formed Wasted Pretty in Marinette, Wisconsin four years ago in response to boredom with pandemic lockdown and online high school. By the summer, they had released their now-classic debut single "Sucks Being Underage" b/w "Don't Care." The pandemic eventually died down, but Ginger and Joey's passion for punk rock did not. After going through more drummers than Spinal Tap, the twins finally found their permanent third piece in current thumper Joe. No longer teenagers, Ginger and Joey have grown their 2020 lockdown project into one of the most exciting young punk rock bands of the present day. They just released their long-awaited debut album, and it's a proverbial breath of fresh air. You don't run into a lot of 20-year-olds who would cite the likes of The Runaways, Stooges, Sex Pistols, and Romeo Void as musical favorites or have named their band after a Figgs song. Yet there's something distinctive about the way a band of this age interprets old school influences. The attitude and energy can be traced back to recordings from decades ago, but Wasted Pretty is putting a modern, fresh twist on the style. Ginger as a lead singer is both the quintessential punk vocalist and a genuine original. Simply put, she's bad-ass. The album was produced by pat mAcdonald, a legendary figure in Wisconsin rock music. Impressively, mAcdonald's production is light-handed and shows a tremendous understanding of the kind of music Wasted Pretty wants to make. He doesn't try and polish away the band's raw edge like so many big-name producers might have. Clocking in at just under 19 minutes, this ten-track album exemplifies teenage (or post-teenage) punk rock. Songs are simple in structure and carried off with tremendous force and enthusiasm. There' s a bit of an Alice in Wonderland theme at play here — another reminder that the twins have an appreciation for the classics. I imagine if you were a tween or teen and heard this record, it would make you want to pick up a guitar or drum sticks and start your own band. And for the rest of us, it's nice to be reminded of why we came to love punk rock in the first place.
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