After a monumental 2025 that saw their seventh record, Force, storm the ARIA Top 10 and land a well-deserved spot on The Music’s best-of-the-year list, Naarm/Melbourne rock stalwarts The Pretty Littles aren't slowing down to bask in the glory. Instead, they’ve returned with a jagged, uncompromising punch to the throat in the form of their latest single, ‘In Our Times’. It’s a track that feels like it was forged in the heat of a collapsing world, trading their signature indie-rock charm for a sound that is considerably more skeletal and biting.
Where previous outings might have winked at the listener through the grit, ‘In Our Times’ is a bare-knuckled growler fuelled by a scathing, ruthless energy. It presents a bleak, almost apocalyptic vision of a global landscape buckling under the pressure of avarice and conflict. The rhythm section is heavy-handed and industrial, providing a foundation for guitars that tear through the mix like shrapnel. Amidst this sonic wreckage, vocalist Jack Parsons delivers a performance thick with dread, his lyrics sifting through the debris in a desperate search for a glimmer of logic.
Parsons is candid about the track’s nihilistic leanings, stating: “‘In Our Times’ is an observation - a bit of a bleak one for sure. Sometimes it can feel hard to find the humour and light amidst the seemingly endless horrors. Even worse is trying to get to the bottom of them and seeing them for what they are - devastations with shaky motivation at the hands of selfish, angry, self aggrandising little people with big guns… “People” - what’s another word? Cunts. Rich Men. The Markets. Humanity. It's darkness.”
While the band has never been one to shy away from the heavy lifting—having previously tackled the systemic abuse of First Nations youth in ‘Don Dale’ and the hollow myths of ‘The Australian Dream’—this new material feels like a pivot from righteous anger toward a more visceral sense of horror. It’s already proven to be a lightning rod in their chaotic live sets, standing out as a moment of stark, jarring intensity.
Following a busy run of festivals and high-profile supports, the group are set to play OK Charlton this February before a formal launch at The Curtin on 6 March. They’ll then take this beautifully grim show on the road for their debut international date in Sri Lanka. It’s a bold, dark turn for one of Melbourne’s most essential acts.
You can stream the new single today, and for more, join The Pretty Littles on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp.
