Taylor Momsen has spoken to NME about The Pretty Reckless’ “extremely vulnerable” new album ‘Dear God’, and explained how “tapping into the innermost, darkest corners” of her mind has “relit” a fire that they haven’t seen since their debut album.
The new record arrived on Friday (June 26) as the fifth from the New York rock veterans and the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s ‘Death By Rock And Roll’. Speaking to NME over Zoom, Momsen explained how it is potentially their most “vulnerable and emotional” to date.
As well as tackling themes of grief and depression, which Momsen has spoken candidly about before – particularly following the untimely deaths of Chris Cornell in 2017 and her friend and producer Kato Khandwala a year later – the album also comes with an emerging sense of clarity.
Across the 14 tracks, the singer not only confronts her hardships head on, but approaches them with a newfound acceptance, understanding that the only way to overcome them is to accept how much they have impacted her.
Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. Credit: Steph Gomez
“There’s an extremely vulnerable and emotional side to this record, but also it’s incredibly heavy and aggressive at the same time. It has done all the things that I wanted it to do, simply by tapping into the innermost, darkest corners of my mind,” Momsen told NME.
“With ‘Dear God’, I think ‘Love Me’ is the song that I’ve been giving credit to the most so far. It was one of the first ones we wrote, and there was a moment where I took a step back from the song and saw just how ripped from my diary it actually was,” she continued. “It was so blunt and direct, there was nothing drenched in metaphor. It’s one that is so deeply personal, and it touches upon something in a way we haven’t really done before.”
Check out the full interview with Momsen below, where she also opens up about how songwriting is like a form of “therapy” for her, her unwavering admiration for Chris Cornell and Soundgarden, her reluctance to be seen as a “role model”, and what to expect from their “primal” 2026 tour dates.
The Pretty Reckless ‘Dear God’ artwork. Credit: Press
NME: Hi Taylor. Congratulations on the new album. How does it feel to finally have it out there and see the response from fans?
Taylor Momsen: “It feels crazy, but also this past week has been a whirlwind of doing press, being in New York, playing in Europe, and now I’m in LA! I’ve been moving so much that it hasn’t fully sunk in that it’s out. But when I do take a second to think about it, it feels fantastic. We worked so hard on this record, and I’m so proud of it because I think it feels new, fresh and different than our previous records.”
Not long ago you spoke so honestly about overcoming issues with depression and with grief in recent years. Did this album almost work as a coping mechanism in that way?
“Of course! I picked up writing when I was five-years-old, and I feel very fortunate that I figured that out really young that it was this tool that allowed me to be purely and utterly free. I realised I could write everything and anything I thought, and by doing it, I learned to process myself and process the world around me. It is something that has served me incredibly well in adulthood too. And that’s not to say that life doesn’t take its toll and things aren’t incredibly hard at times, but definitely the writing aspect of it can be like therapy sometimes. Without it I don’t know who I’d be or where I’d be. It’s how I cope. It’s how I deal with everything.”
A lot of fans online have spoken out about how much they respect you for being open with your struggles. It must be difficult to put it out there…
“The reality is, it’s all a part of my story at this point. I went through a lot of loss — some I talked about publicly, some I didn’t — and it affected me greatly. It would be the same for anyone who has gone through that kind of situation. It took me years to realise that it was not going to go away. [Grief] changes over time, and your reaction evolves as time goes on… but I realised that I’m not the same person that I was before all of that, and I never will be again.
“‘Death By Rock And Roll’ was the immediate reaction of what got me through those immediate losses, or at least the ones I spoke about, and this record is in a lot of ways the aftermath of that of where I’m at now with those things. It’s me realising that all of those experiences, the good, the bad, the ugly, are a part of who I am and I can’t run or hide from them. The only way to move forward is to wear it all like a badge of honour and treat it like your superpower.”
You previously said that ‘When I Wake Up’ is about a dream gradually becoming a nightmare, but not being able to recognise it until it’s maybe too late. What did that mean for you personally?
“The song’s actually quite dark. I’m proud of it because on a first listen, if you’re not paying much attention, it’s a very fun song. It’s meant to be like that. It mirrors a time period in my life where I was in the fast lane and from the outside it looked like a really good time. But if you look slightly under the surface, the reality is that’s not a sustainable life, where at some point you have to wake up from that and make a choice.
“In my case, I had a harsh moment of reality and I had to make a very conscious choice whether I was going to live or I was going to die. I was in a very bad place. That song is reflecting on that time period where I was very out of control, for lack of a better term. I was trying to use things outside of myself in order to escape my own brain and the circumstances that I felt like I was trapped inside of. I chose the unhealthy way to go about things for a while.”
There are heavy themes like that across the album, but at the core it feels like there is an emerging sense of reflection, perseverance and gratitude. Would it be too simplistic to call this a bright new chapter?
“I don’t think it is simplifying things too much because I think (and I hope) it’s true! This record feels really inspired and fresh to us. In a lot of ways, it feels like the first album, ‘Light Me Up’ [2010]. Not musically, but in the way it has that same sense of intent and that same fire from when we were at the very beginning.
“It’s hard to explain, but it feels very us. In one way it is incredibly effortless, but also there is this brutal honesty that comes from how much we’ve gone through together and separately. It feels like a new band. There’s a fire in all of us that I don’t want to say ever died, but it has been relit and is burning with all the gasoline right now. This is us in our truest form.”
You have been a longtime fan of Soundgarden, toured with the band shortly before the untimely death of Chris Cornell, and regularly spoke about how much you admired him. Have you heard anything about that unreleased album the members have been hinting at, which will feature the singer’s voice?
“Oh, man, I don’t think that’s my place to talk about. But what I will say though is that I love those guys. I’m so excited and proud of them and everything that they are doing, and just stay tuned.”
What is it about Chris Cornell that really struck a chord with you, and why do you think his music and his words continue to resonate with people so strongly nearly 10 years after his passing?
“I can only speak for me, I can’t speak for the world, but for me all of Chris Cornell’s work speaks to me on a level that nothing else does. When something touches you that way, it’s hard to put into words just exactly why. There is just this connection, and it’s like it is speaking to you on a level that is so deep that it feels like a part of you. I’ve listened to his solo work and to Soundgarden so many times, but every time I listen to them, it evokes something different in me.
“There is the sheer amount of depth and sensitivity and aggression… [but] also, it’s so smart. It’s musically exquisite and complex — like this never-ending onion where you discover something new about it and about yourself every time you listen to it. I think that is so powerful and so fucking rare. It’s coming from a place that’s so deep and so powerful that it touches your soul.”
Taylor Momsen performs with Soundgarden at a tribute to Chris Cornell in 2019. CREDIT: Jeff Kravitz/Getty
Are there any emerging artists who you’ve come across in more recent years who have had a similar impact on you?
“I’m such a creature of habit, I listen to the same records that I’ve listened to my whole life. They’re not exactly new artists now, but I do really like Courtney Barnett and Die Antwoord. They’re new to me and I think that they are incredibly creative and everything they put out is just incredibly interesting and unique.”
What do you think of the current rock and metal scene, and the climate for new talent trying to break out and trying to get heard?
“I think we’re in an interesting time. There will always be those people who love to put the label ‘rock is dead’ out into the ether, but I don’t think that’s true. I believe rock is too primal to kill. It is so instinctually in all of us, and it has always gone through points where it has been more underground.
“If you look at it throughout time, rock music repeats itself a lot — not musically, but in terms of when it has its time in the sun. It follows this kind of arc of where the world is at. If you look at the ‘50s, it was very pop-oriented, but in the ‘60s and ‘70s it seemed like the artist took over again. Then the ‘80s came in and it got a little bit more corporate, but then the ‘90s kicked everyone’s ass because there was an authenticity to what the grunge scene did that was unmatched.
“It fell back into the pop side of things after that, but right now I see an interesting turning point because I think we’re hitting a time in the world where people are craving it again, but in a real way. People are are craving authenticity and want to hear a human point of view that is truthful, raw, aggressive and honest… and not made by a fucking computer. Because of that all, we’re in a very exciting time for rock music.”
Do you think that desire for grit and authenticity stems from being in times of political unrest and social turmoil?
“Definitely. Music mirrors the human condition in a lot of ways, and people gravitate towards what they’re feeling. That’s why a lot of the time when there’s political unrest or turmoil in society — which god knows we have a lot of that right now — it’s very natural for an audience to gravitate towards music that reflects that.”
As a modern female icon of rock, how does it feel to think that you are helping a new generation of girls pick up instruments and get into rock music?
“That’s fucking crazy and incredibly flattering to think about. I used to get asked a lot when I was younger ‘What does it feel like to be a role model?’, and I really hated that title. I would immediately reject it because I, in no way, want to be someone’s role model. I’m a human being who is constantly making mistakes and trying to figure it out. I used to say, ‘Don’t follow me, kids’ because it felt like too much pressure! But if I inspire anyone to pick up an instrument or to express themselves or to be the truest version of themselves… That is fantastic and I’m happy to take on that role. They’re very different things. If I’ve done anything like that, that’s absolutely incredible.”
The Pretty Reckless are heading out on tour again soon… What can fans expect?
“It’s going to be so much fun. I haven’t been this genuinely excited about a tour in I don’t know how many years. We have a fire in us that is ready to explode, and that translates into the show. We started rehearsals recently and, when we’re playing the new songs, it’s just awesome. There is this primal energy to the show, and as an artist who is dying to play the new material, you can feel that it is a very exciting time in our band’s life.
“There are so many shows on the books, but I’m still looking at them and saying: ‘It’s not enough. I want to do more’ – so that’s a good sign! The shows will be very high energy, live rock and roll, and as far as production and all that stuff goes we’re very basic. There will be no click track, it’s just the four of us on stage cranking amps and playing songs in a very organic and loud, real way. Because of that, every show will be different. It’s free, every night is its own world, and it will be un-imitable.”
‘Dear God’ is out now, and The Pretty Reckless will kick off their US tour dates on July 10, before heading over to the UK and Europe in November and December. Visit here for tickets and more information.
For help and advice on mental health:
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably
- Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians (CALL MUSIC MINDS MATTER ON: 0808 802 8008)
- Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues (CALL: 0800 030 6789)
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
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