Pillowprince’s debut EP pretty, baby! balances dreamy textures with sharp lyrical teeth, delivering a collection of tracks that shimmer and sting in equal measure. The standout track “Babybird” soars with its layered guitars and woozy atmosphere, setting an emotional tone that’s expanded on throughout the record. But it’s “R the Straights OK” that lands the hardest punch—an acid-tongued satire of social expectations, dripping with lines that mock performative success and cookie-cutter lifestyles.
Musically, the band shifts effortlessly between crystalline clean tones and thick, fuzzed-out walls of sound. There’s a sonic warmth here that calls to mind The Blue Album–era Weezer, though Pillowprince’s take leans more into the hypnotic wash of shoegaze and dream pop. ‘Sodium’ builds on the EP’s hazy aesthetic with dense, reverb-heavy arrangements, while ‘Mercurial’ stands out as the hookiest moment—melding shimmering guitar lines and an unforgettable vocal melody into a track that feels both expansive and intimate.
What really sets the EP apart is how it contrasts its lush sound with biting critique—this is not just dreamy escapism, it’s observation through haze and distortion. Pillowprince is saying something. With pretty, baby!, the band offers a confident, cutting debut that invites you to lean in and listen closely.
Written by J. Wood
