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Papa VS Pretty is an Australian rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. Originally the solo act of then 15-year old Thomas Rawle (lead vocals, guitar, piano, primary songwriter) in 2006, who was writing and recording music as a solo artist playing all instruments himself, Papa VS Pretty became its current three-piece band in 2008 with the addition of Rawle’s friends Angus Gardiner (bass guitar, cello, backing vocals) and Tom Myers (drums, backing vocals).
Papa VS Pretty’s musical style has evolved from the initial fusion of indie rock and electronica of their first EP, EP 1 (2007), to a ...read more
Papa VS Pretty is an Australian rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. Originally the solo act of then 15-year old Thomas Rawle (lead vocals, guitar, piano, primary songwriter) in 2006, who was writing and recording music as a solo artist playing all instruments himself, Papa VS Pretty became its current three-piece band in 2008 with the addition of Rawle’s friends Angus Gardiner (bass guitar, cello, backing vocals) and Tom Myers (drums, backing vocals).
Papa VS Pretty’s musical style has evolved from the initial fusion of indie rock and electronica of their first EP, EP 1 (2007), to a more stripped-down rock approach for 2009’s EP 2, and a grunge and classic rock influenced sound on their most recent EP, Heavy Harm, released August 13 2010. Papa VS Pretty has gained notable attention in the Sydney music scene for their "intimidatingly tight" live performances, and their 2010 single "Heavy Harm" has been added to national rotation on notable Australian radio station Triple J.
||| HISTORY |||
Thomas Rawle developed a strong interest in music from a young age and began playing the drums at age 4, the piano at age 6, and the guitar at age 12. Writing his own songs and composing music from the age of 7, Rawle had access to basic digital recording equipment and gear because his father was an audio engineer.
In 2006, Rawle adopted the stage name Papa VS Pretty to write, record, and perform his music under, creating songs which fused elements of electronica and indie rock, and in 2007 recorded and released the first EP under the name Papa VS Pretty, EP 1, in which Rawle wrote all songs and performed all instruments. The song "Citizen No. 1" received air-play on Sydney radio station FBi, and the EP was well received by the local music street press; Drum Media's Liam Casey praised it saying "May god strike me down if this isn’t the best thing I’ve heard this year".
In late 2007, Rawle invited friends Angus Gardiner and Tom Myers to join him as fulltime members, playing bass guitar and drums, respectively, and Papa VS Pretty became a three-piece band. They played their first gigs in their current three-piece line-up in local Sydney nightclubs and venues such as Candy’s Apartment, World Bar, Oxford Arts Factory, and The Factory Theatre, throughout 2008, played sets at the 2008 Peats Ridge Festival, the 2008 Parklife Festival, and in early 2009 they played the Laneway Festival, and also released their second EP, EP 2. This EP was positively received by critics in reviews, described as having "pretty fantastic songs", and being both "haunting and captivating .... chaotic and compelling". An accompanying music video was filmed for the song "Ballad", directed by Ben Wilson and featuring Australian actress Sophie Lowe. In late 2009, via online video sharing website Vimeo, the band released an eight-part series of songs with accompanying video of live studio performances filmed in their rehearsal space, entitled the From The Bunker series, filmed and produced entirely by the band and director Ben Wilson. The song "Piper" was featured on Triple J radio station, and was then later re-recorded to be released on their Heavy Harm EP in 2010.
By 2010 Papa VS Pretty had signed on to Peace & Riot, a new subsidiary label formed in 2010 by major record label EMI Australia. The band’s third studio EP Heavy Harm, released August 13 2010, was the first ever release for Peace & Riot. Recorded at Sydney’s Albert Studios in early 2010, the EP was produced by Australian musician and Something For Kate frontman Paul Dempsey, and was mixed by Dempsey and Rick Will. The first single, title-track "Heavy Harm", was added to national rotation on Triple J radio station in June 2010. The band embarked on a national tour supporting Paul Dempsey for his Burning Leaves tour in April 2010, and in March they opened for Grammy Award-winning French band Phoenix at the Luna Park Sydney Big Top. In a July 2010 interview with FBi Radio, the band revealed that they were currently writing their debut album, tentatively set for a 2011 release.
||| MUSICAL STYLE |||
Papa VS Pretty’s primary genres are alternative rock and indie rock, but they also integrate elements of grunge, hard rock, funk rock, and electronica. Lyrically, Papa VS Pretty songs often deal with themes of disenfranchisement, lost love, human emotions, technology, and the state of the world.
Recognisable characteristics of many Papa VS Pretty songs include the focus on melodic backing vocal harmonies, lead vocalist Thomas Rawle’s falsetto voice, and Rawle’s intricate lead guitar work. As a guitarist, Rawle cites other guitarists such as Prince, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix as inspirations, and has been himself described as a "shredder" and one for "grungy guitar riffs". As a whole, the band cite that they are influenced by many artists from a diverse range of genres, including Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, The Smiths, The Mars Volta, At The Drive-In, Incubus, Prince, The Drones, Silverchair, Jack White, Jimi Hendrix, Grizzly Bear, Dinosaur Jr, Battles, Joy Division, Elliot Smith, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Tom Waits, Pavement, The Reels, Roxy Music, Air, Vangelis, and Sergei Prokofiev.
Their musical style and sound has been described as sometimes entering folk rock territory, and their sound has been compared to that of Okkervil River on "Heavy Harm", early Muse on "Ballad", Coldplay on "Sleep Again", Nine Inch Nails and R.E.M. on "Arrestem", and Silverchair, and Thomas Rawle has been described as being "a bit like a teenage Matt Bellamy, stylistically, albeit with a lower voice." The band’s musical style has evolved dramatically since their conception, with their earlier output much more experimental, indie and electronic sounding, with the band described as applying a "deconstructuralist ethic... to traditional song structures," and creating "impulsive and spontaneous compositions" on songs such as "Arrestem", whilst their most recent output has been described as "frantic guitar rock", with a grungy classic rock inspired style and a more stripped-back and raw approach to music. « hide |
Similar Bands: Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Elliot Smith, Queens of the Stone Age Contributors: dan115, Voivod,
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