Though the Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen survived a bat-bite on-stage in Spain last year, the hard-rock now is sounding a lil’ grave on her band’s brand-new single, “For I Am Death.”
The Pretty Reckless’ latest song, their first official single since 2021, arrived on streamers today (August 22nd). It starts off with creepy-squealed Sunset Strip-isms and stop-start rhythm punctuation, above which guitarist-vocalist Momsen tunefully rasps “there’s something wrong with me.”
The song’s narrator, apparently death personified, also feels needles crawling up her spine “to where god only knows,” and suggests that everyone eventually meets their maker (“You can’t outrun the hand of fate / And I will wait”).
“With ‘For I Am Death,’ I want the music to speak for itself, allowing the listener to decide what it means to them,” Momsen offered in a statement. “The interpretation of the song might align with my own, or it might come from the heart of the audience. Either way, I’m excited to see what people take away from it and what it means to them. Oh, and rock and roll will never die.”
Following teaser vids on socials that either spraypainted the song and band name onto brick walls, or pictured a set of hands eerily tearing into someone’s skin (now confirmed by the vid as being Momsen’s), the clip presents the Pretty Reckless leader as “a malevolent, haunting figure” crawling in a pit of despair. It also features full-band performance footage.
You can check out the band’s new grim reapin’ rock video, which includes a brief and folky intro dubbed “Life Evermore Pt. 2,” up above.
The new tune is the first from the act since the release of the Pretty Reckless’ remix, acoustic and covers-sporting Other Worlds project in 2022. The band’s last album of originals was 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll.
The Pretty Reckless had spent their spring out on the road as part of AC/DC’s world tour, which hit Edinburgh, UK’s Murrayfield Stadium last night (August 21st). As of press time, there are no upcoming Pretty Reckless dates for the rest of 2025.