Pretty Rude isn’t afraid to get messy. Their latest single, “Debbie & Lynn,” is scrappy, raw, and introspective—an anthem for anyone who’s ever tried to outrun their own self-destructive tendencies, only to find them tucked neatly into their carry-on.
The track carries a distinct garage band grit, its energy feeling spontaneous and just a little chaotic—the kind of song that sounds like it was meant to be played too loud in a basement show or shouted along to in a packed, sweaty venue. That unfiltered quality pairs perfectly with the DIY-style music video, which captures the band’s unpolished charm. It’s all very early Weezer meets Joyce Manor, a collision of power-pop melodicism and self-aware, indie-rock edge.
Lyrically, frontman James Palko pulls inspiration from Billy Collins’ poem Traveling Alone, reimagining its characters, Debbie & Lynn, as flight attendants navigating the wreckage of a life gone off course. “No vacation,” Palko sings, delivering the line with a mix of resignation and frustration. Because no matter how far you run, you’re always stuck traveling with yourself.
“Debbie and Lynn are flight attendants, they were talking me through an emergency landing / Of one too many Bloody Mary’s charged to the room of a hotel I’d never been.”
The lyrics are sharply observational, mixing humor with something much heavier. The song plays like a boozy night of bad decisions—something mirrored in the music video where the lead actor overindulges throughout the story—the kind where you wake up the next morning knowing that the real problem—you—is still along for the ride.
A First Look at Pretty Rude’s Debut Album
“Debbie & Lynn” marks Pretty Rude’s first single since signing with SideOneDummy, a move that already feels like a perfect match. Produced by the band and mixed by Jake Sinclair (Weezer’s White Album), the track showcases Pretty Rude’s ability to balance rough-edged indie punk with moments of big, hooky songwriting.
Their upcoming debut album, out this May, promises to be a defining statement for the band, solidifying the band’s identity after forming during the pandemic as an “online theoretical project” that was never meant to go this far.
But it has. And if “Debbie & Lynn” is anything to go by, Pretty Rude isn’t just along for the ride—they’re here to make sure we all feel the turbulence.
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