Over the last two years, The Pretty Wild, led by sisters Jyl and Jules Wylde, have carved out a niche with their distinctly modern, feminine take on rock genres. From their earliest "y'allternative" explorations to their current ascendancy as self-described "nu-metalcore baddies," bolstered by the breakout hit "sLeepWALker" with its viral "mosh cough" breakdown, The Pretty Wild have continued to make strides in their mission to "be the voice for those that feel forgot, got lost or lost it." zero.point.genesis, their debut full-length album, finds the group building off their earlier successes with growing confidence, focused songwriting, and deft melodies.
From the jump, "PARADOX" highlights the manic glee that runs through the album. The single, which explores the paradoxical necessity of ego death in this day and age, doubles as an opening salvo and a mission statement. The Las Vegas duo take on the seemingly endless pains and contradictions of everyday life near-operatic gusto. Are the sounds of actual scissors before the line "Cut out the parasite! Cut it!" in "Button Eyes" necessary? Probably not, but it's a fun touch. With so much (justified) anger and angst, these flashes of self-aware humor go a long way. Similarly, the "Slay! BLEGH!" featured on the album's title track encapsulates the band's distinctly modern aesthetic (read: online, but not too online). If nothing else, the opening tracks prove the winning combo of high-flying harmonies, rapid-fire rhymes, and metalcore grooves of "sLeepWALker" was no fluke.
The band has also leveled up lyrically. While the bluntness of their early single "Only Fans" is appreciated, this time around the pair, aided by longtime producer Andrew Wade, take a more oblique, artful approach. The opening verse of "living ded," "I'm micro-dosing hell when I wake up / Shape shift into the face that I make up / Crashin' out I been emotionally bankrupt / Can't feel my face, is this a stroke of bad luck?" showcases imagery and wordplay born of social media-saturated struggles with insecurities and deteriorating mental health. Across the album, themes of weathering modern chaos, failing mental health, and substance abuse are wrapped up in vivid imagery, pulling together everything from classic goth preoccupations like death, hearses, and creepy ragdolls to Arthur Miller ("The Trial") and Neil Gaiman ("Button Eyes"). While the latter is never explicitly namedropped, the disgraced author's recently surfaced history of abuse and gaslighting aligns too closely with the album's themes of pain and shame in the wake of abuse for it to be a coincidence.
If the album has any drawbacks, it's that, at times, the delivery is too polished. While the duo can summon soaring harmonies and terrifying screams without so much as breaking a sweat, a few moments of grit and sweat—the sense that the band is really, truly letting loose—would go a long way. This problem is not unique to The Pretty Wild, but it's worth mentioning given the passion and energy the clearly possesses. If the album as a whole could withstand a few frayed edges, "priestess," three unrelenting minutes of thudding guitars, digital squeals, and distorted vocals, could use a bit of levity. Everything about the track is dialed to eleven, and the effect is downright suffocating. While that's likely the point, the track risks crossing over into monotony. Lyrically, it still delivers, such as the line "But your teeth knew me deeper than their tongues ever will taste / I bled in vain," but, overall, mileage will vary.
From there the album really kicks into high gear. "OMENS," with its sinewy chorus, is a clear standout. The band has a real knack for invoking dark feelings with a fun, energetic sense of catharsis. What felt sapped of color and dynamics on "priestess" bursts with life on "OMENS." Even the production, with screams buried deep in the mix under the harmonies, expands on what came before. Careening from the sweet choruses to the apocalyptic madness of the bridge to the uneasy calm after, it's The Pretty Wild at their most dialed-in. From there, "The Trial," the album's Salem-inspired centerpiece, cranks up the drama while keeping one foot firmly planted in the more aggressive side of metalcore circa 2025. Featuring, arguably, the album's best chorus, it's a strong contender for best song on the album. And the way the guitars switch up to match the rapid-fire rhyming section is a definite highlight. "hALf aLiVe," an early 2000s throwback, offers a welcome change of pace and another contender for best track on the album. With chorused guitars and suspended chords sounding like Title of Record-era Filter, it's one of the album's most melodic offerings. When the breakdown's metalcore grind pulls the song back into 2025, Wade and the sisters Wylde show just how malleable a sound they've created. Not since "Wild Eyes" has the band put out anything so unabashedly 90s/early 2000s, but it works because the band's true strength, even more than their vibe, is their melodic sensibility.
"AFTERLIFE," featuring Magnolia Park, is another melodic spin on the Sumerian sound. While not as punishing as "Kundalini," the pair's collab with Deadlands, it feels of a piece with the album's themes of modern contradictions across metaphysical planes and gives Jyl a chance to show off a more laid-back flow that plays well against Magnolia Park's Joshua Roberts. The team-up has a natural, unforced interplay that keeps the song interesting. The electronic-infused "INFRARED" is another standout. The tumbling pre-chorus captures a theatricality that's refreshing and yet totally in step with the album's heightened vibe. It's not hard to imagine the band expanding into more ambitious songs in a style similar to Periphery. The album's final track—unless you purchase a physical copy, which features the aforementioned "sLeepWALker"—"persephone" slows things down before, naturally, spiraling out and ending on a note of pure, unbridled rage.
zero.point.genesis proves The Pretty Wild are more than viral clips and hashtags. By building on their early success and incorporating some surprising influences along the way, they show they've got the talent, and the songs, to back it up.
zero.point.genesis is out now on Sumerian Records.
