Premiere: Meet rising WA trio Pretty Uglys, who share the clip for SOAK IT UP

When talking about the increasing dominance of West Australia's music scene on a national scale, we admittedly often discuss acts only coming from Perth and its surrounds - Fremantle, Mandurah. It's a bit of disservice, not just because there's a tonne of music that comes from outside of these areas - Grace Armstrong from Balingup; Yuko Nishiyama from the Kimberley region; MissGenius from Kalgoorlie - but also because a lot of that music is down-right incredible, and because these artists may not have access to the multitude of opportunities that align themselves with more 'central' acts, they're often left behind and having to find these opportunities themselves.

Busselton-based rock trio Pretty Uglys are an example of another band doing incredible things from more regional-esque areas, with the south-west WA group steadily building themselves an audience thanks to their authentic and gritty, ruckus-inducing alt-y surf-rock - which to date, spans releases back to their 2018 debut EP Beach for Free - and a notoriously energetic live show that has already seen the group support some of the best names from WA and beyond: Ruby Fields, Pist Idiots, Spacey Jane and Sly Withers all included within that.

Their most recent track, SOAK IT UP, is one that highlights this aforementioned energy, capturing the sheer power of that jangly surf-rock sound at its most grunge-y and dirty; layering thick guitar melodies with this alt-rock-inspired vocal that sees their sound head into an almost Weezer-esque direction, packed with this anthemic, singalong energy that sets them apart even from the bands they've come to support over the years. It's still full of that characteristically fun bounce though - the track is over before you know it, you don't even realise how short three-minutes can be until you find a track like this - and it's a good sign that the trio are heading towards something great in the year ahead.

Today, however, we're premiering the single's official video clip, which - filmed in their hometown - manages to capture the energy of the band's live show even with just a few people in front of them, as well as hinting slightly at the light-heartedness that underpin much of their music and image. "We got a bunch of our mates together and filmed the video in a sea container out the back of an awesome bar in Busselton called Darleen‘s," says the group on the clip. "A good friend of ours Oakley Stone who usually films surf clips filmed and edited the video and did an amazing job, can’t thank him enough for his pure talent!"

It's a taste of their forthcoming new EP PARTY FRIENDS - scheduled for release later this year - but in the meantime, check out the energetic clip for SOAK IT UP below, and better introduce yourself to the group while you're at it:

Tell us about yourself?

Pretty Uglys are three mates from Busselton, south-west WA who thrive on creating music and performing high energy live shows together. 

What’s the vibe music-wise?

Rock/Surf Rock/Punk consisting of a three piece, guitar/vox (Jaxon Alp), Bass/vox (Jean-luc Mason) and drums (Sam Dvorak).

What are your production and writing processes like?

Our writing process has always been the same. One of us will come up with an idea on guitar or bass and we just jam it out together, sometimes for hours in our front lounge room until we land on something we either keep or forget about. The vocals all begin with singing completely random stuff into the mic to get a melody and then lyrics come last. Never once had a noise complaint which is amazing!

Can you tell us about your new single, Soak It Up?

SOAK IT UP is the single we are putting out off our upcoming EP called PARTY FRIENDS. The track basically revolves around the theme of trying not to get caught up in things which are filled with negativity, more specifically the news on TV which is filled with it. Instead enjoying the finer and simple things in life like soaking up the sun with friends sipping on lime and rum.

Would love to include a massive shoutout to Darleen's in Busselton. It's our friends bar where we shot our music video, they let us empty all the kegs out of the sea container (cool room) out the back and film our music video inside it. There is no better place in town for a beer.

Any tour dates coming up?

27th of March Darleen's in Busselton (Same venue we shot the music video), 3rd of April El Grotto in Scarborough, 12th of April at our mate's tavern in Quinninup (suicide awareness gig), 17th of April The River in Margaret River.

What does 2020 have in store for you?

We are going to move up to Perth/Freo to be closer to venues and friends, finish recording our EP PARTY FRIENDS and put that out in a couple of months hopefully. Would love to get some east coast shows booked at some point also, and play a bunch more shows!

Where can we find more of your music?

Pretty much all streaming platforms, Spotify/Apple Music etc.

Follow Pretty Uglys: FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM