Taken from their 1992 LP, Dirty, “100%” is Sonic Youth at their most direct and aggressive. It’s essentially a driving grunge anthem caked in noisy feedback and buzz saw guitars with some pop overtones mixed in to help wash it all down. In many ways it’s Nirvana’s formula for success distilled into a 2:22 bruiser of song, which makes it ideal cover fodder for local grunge and noise rock acolytes Pretty Please.
Arriving ahead of an unnamed new record which the trio is in the midst of tracking, “100%” is the first thing we’ve heard from the group since 2014’s Sully EP. It’s a gritty, raw, largely faithful rendition, which makes sense considering that everything that happens in the song—the sneering riff, the abrasive bursts of noise, the catchy but slightly deadpan vocals—are in Pretty Please’s immediate wheelhouse. Still, as a general rule, covers are notoriously difficult to pull off well, especially when you’re dealing with a sound as singular and passionately adored as Sonic Youth’s. So give these guys their due. Not only do they capture the spirit of the original, but they manage to interject some of their own caustic energy into the proceedings. Listen below.
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Bandcamp: prettyplease.bandcamp.com
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