Pretty Sick brings the nineties grunge revival we never knew we needed
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
Credit: @alxzv
IRL NAME Sabrina Fuentes
STAGE NAME PRETTY SICK
LOCATION Somewhere between London and New York.
A nineties grunge revival never goes amiss. Thankfully, the one to satiate the kinderwhore shaped hole in our hearts (feel free to complain to my Editor about this pun) is NYC rock band Pretty Sick. Fronted by Sabrina Fuentes, the band’s sound is reminiscent of the Courtney Loves and Billy Corgans from days gone by, albeit with a slick Gen-Z twist. A tale of two cities; the group is currently split between London and New York - Fuentes lives with co-bassist Orazio Argentero in South-East London where they met while studying Goldsmiths’ Popular Music course. Guitarist Wade Oates and drummer Austin Williamson are across the Atlantic in NYC. Prone to homesickness but happy to explore the world, Fuentes jets back and forth as often as she can, and despite still being so young, has already cemented herself as an all-around downtown cool girl for many years. With the band forming when she was just 13 years old, she's already modelled for brands including STÜSSY and ALYX, and also performed at SUPREME’S 25th Anniversary, as you do… Ahead of the their latest release which dropped last Thursday, we spoke to the young star about all things music, growing up, and dealing with homesickness.
Phoebe Shardlow: Hi Sabrina! How’s your day been so far?
Sabrina Fuentes: I just made some food and I’ve been watching Mad Men.
PS: What season?
SF: Six. It’s taken me so long to get here, I’m determined to finish it now.
PS: You’ve got a new single, Devil in Me, coming out this week, how are you feeling?
SF: I’m so excited for everyone to hear the new music. It’s in the same vein as the last stuff but there’s a bit of a different tone, I’m curious to see how people like it. The last EP we released was a lot brighter and the tracks that were darker were kept very low-key. I’m excited for people to see our darker side.
PS: Have you been writing and producing a lot of new songs over quarantine?
SF: Most of this and some of the last project were collections of songs written over the past seven years and we recorded a lot of them in 2018/2019. We’ve been fixing and working on them since, re-mixing, adding stuff, taking away… Now it’s all finally ready to come out.
PS: What were some of your influences and references when making these songs?
SF: I wrote some of these songs when I was really young and some of them I wrote more recently. I’ve been influenced by my relationships at the time, the world around and the way people interact. That’s something I write about a lot. I talk about feelings I don’t feel comfortable mentioning in my day-to-day life but that I can get out of my system through music. That’s what it’s all about.
PS: Would you say this is a form of release for you?
SF: Totally, it’s the only way I can process my emotions.
PS: Who’s your dream collaboration?
SF: BJÖRK. I love her so much.
PS: Can you pick a favourite song of yours?
SF: I think my favourite from this upcoming release is Bear, which is coming out with the full EP. But it’s so hard to say… I like them all so much.
PS: When did you get into songwriting and making music?
SF: I’ve always really loved it every since I was a little kid.
PS: What did you listen to growing up?
SF: A lot of grunge and punk. Hole, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bikini Kill and Fugazi. Also a lot of dance and techno and some experimental stuff. I think you can definitely tell in the music.
PS: What’s your favourite part of the creative process?
SF: With songwriting it’s like shadow work for me, it’s a release to be able to write a song about something that’s been bothering you for a long time and be happy with it. Then performing live is such a rush and interesting way to connect with people. Especially when there’s friends in the audience and they know what you’ve been through. You’ve gone from talking about something in a sombre way to now screaming about it and letting it go. I can’t wait until touring can happen again.
PS: What makes a good live show?
SF: The audience, especially when they interact back. That’s when it feels like you’re doing it and you’re getting something right. I always wanna have a beer with everybody afterwards.
PS: Favourite show you’ve ever been to?
SF: I saw LIZ PHAIR open up for BLONDIE and crowd-surfed to Heart of Glass in New York.
PS: What brought you to London?
SF: I wanted to get out of New York whilst I was still young. I think at some point everyone should leave their hometown for a bit, it’s always gonna be there waiting for you. You’ve gotta leave for new stuff to happen.
PS: Do you get homesick?
SF: I miss my best friends but I’m also really comfortable in London. I think New York will always be more inspiring for me however.
PS: Is it hard to balance a music career and a music degree?
SF: Not at all. I went to a Catholic high school which was so soul-sucking. Being able to do music afterwards and focus on stuff I really like academically is amazing.
PS: What are your top five albums of all time?
SF: Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins, Vespertine by Björk, Tidal by Fiona Apple, Either/Or by Elliott Smith and Love. Angel. Music. Baby. by Gwen Stefani.
PS: Best piece of advice you’ve received as a musician?
SF: If it hurts, stop doing it. I used to scream in high school… It’s pretty obvious advice but when you’re rocking out it doesn’t come to you.
PS: You finish university in a few months, what’s next?
SF: I’m going to travel Europe by myself and meet as many musicians as possible. I’m trying to make an album and I want to find the perfect team for it.
PS: What’s your dream venue to play at?
SF: A big sold-out venue in Tokyo, I love to perform there! Or a really huge venue in New York like Madison Square Garden. One day hopefully…
Photography by ALEX ARAUZ
Featuring PRETTY SICK
Special thanks to SOPHIA IKIRMAWI