Pretty Sick

Founded by musician Sabrina Fuentes, Pretty Sick burst out of New York City’s underground with a clearly defined sound, drawn from 1990s grunge but forged in the crucible of the city’s DIY scene. She released her self-titled debut EP in 2017, and in 2020 signed to Dirty Hit (The 1975, beabadoobee), building a fanbase with a series of heavy-yet-catchy alt-rock anthems like “Superstar” off her 2020 EP Deep Divine and “Dumb” off her 2021 follow-up Come Down. In 2022 she released her Paul Kolderie (Pixies, Radiohead)-produced debut album, Makes Me Sick Make Me Smile, before embarking on tour with both beabadoobee and Yves Tumor, performing at venues around the world. Never one to sit still creatively, Fuentes pivoted with the Streetwise EP in 2024, six songs of propulsive, electronic club-pop made with Swedish producer Woesum (Yung Lean, Bladee). Now, Fuentes is gearing up for the release of Anarchy, her sophomore album, combining influences from rap, rave, and shoegaze into blistering new forms.

 

Fuentes, bass player and vocalist, launched Pretty Sick all the way back in 2013, joined by her friends Ella Moore on guitar and Eva Kaufman on drums. Cutting their teeth in the New York City DIY scene, the band quickly built a following across the city, playing countless shows at now-legendary spaces like Shea Stadium and Silent Barn and releasing their self-titled debut, the Pretty Sick EP, in 2016. Their sharp hooks and dense, distorted textures echoed ‘90s icons like Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, while staying grounded in the present-day immediacy of the city’s interwoven skate, rock, and jazz scenes. 

 

In 2020, Pretty Sick signed to Dirty Hit—home to The 1975 and beabadoobee— and released the Deep Divine EP, which included anthems like “Superstar”, while 2021 follow-up Come Down featured “Dumb”. Both singles earned tens of millions of streams and praise from Pitchfork, DAZED, and New York Magazine. The pandemic halted gigs, so Fuentes holed up in the studio for her raucous, raw 2022 debut, Makes Me Sick Make Me Smile.

 

Working primarily with producer Oscar Scheller (Lily Allen, PinkPantheress), Fuentes recorded Anarchy in Los Angeles, crafting what she describes as “a maximal rock-electronic hybrid” that draws from “indie pop, shoegaze, and rap.” The album’s creative process began loosely. “When me and Oscar started, we tried some poppier, brighter stuff, but it didn’t feel right,” she recalls. “Only when we wrote ‘Anarchy’—that was the first one that felt like a strong step in the right direction.” The title track—a brash “mission statement” for the project—exemplifies the album’s synthesis of influences ranging from My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive to Sleigh Bells and Chief Keef. “It feels like rock music, but also doesn’t,” Fuentes says. “It’s something other people aren’t doing right now.” The title reflects her refusal to be boxed in: “People put so much into a personal brand or an identity as a public-facing artist. I’m not here to give people exactly what they want all the time.”