Label: Tiny Engines
Mainstays of the D.C. DIY scene, Pretty Bitter live up to their name. Masters of all kinds of dissonance, they juxtapose stories of haunting and heartbreak with dazzling pop-rock arrangements. Pretty Bitter makes music that gets the emo kids dancing. Theyโre unafraid to infuse their blistering breakdowns with hits of disco and synthpopโand thatโs exactly what theyโve done on Pleaser, their sophomore album, co-produced by Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It., Pet Symmetry) and Simon Small (Strawberry Boy) and out July 25th, 2025 via cult favorite indie label Tiny Engines. Following a string of ethereal singles, their 2022 debut Hinges formally introduced Pretty Bitter and their dreampunk to a rapidly growing audience. Fearlessly led by Mel Bleker and sharing studio and touring members with D.C. punk all-stars Ekko Astral, Pretty Bitter has been embraced by DIY fans far and wide. On Pleaser, Pretty Bitter have amped up the drama of their lush arrangementsโa match made in heaven for the emotional ferocity of Blekerโs lyricism. โIf everything is out there, nothingโs embarrassing,โ they sigh on โI Hope You Do,โ expertly toeing the line between the personal and the universal over bright, bubbling synths. On the arresting closer โOuter Heaven,โ Bleker sings โTime isnโt a lover in the way it likes to play / Iโm getting older, every due I pay / Time isnโt a bandage in the way you always say / I wonโt be abandoned by myself again this way.โ Their observational, heart-on-sleeve songwriting is as effortless as their flittering between the jangly, dreamy inclinations of rock, pop, and folk. Pleaser is a triumph, an instantly lovable record that reveals just how bright Pretty Bitterโs future is.
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