Former Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen declared last year that she’s quit acting in order to concentrate on music, which—well, we’ll see. But even if you doubt her ability to resist the lure of Hollywood, there’s no denying Momsen’s commitment to the rocker-chick image she’s cultivated as frontwoman of the Pretty Reckless. This New York foursome debuted in 2010 with Light Me Up, a surprisingly forceful pop-metal set on which Momsen informs us that somebody’s mixed her medicine, that you make her wanna die and that she’s a zombie “wandering right through existence with no purpose and no drive.” (Here’s a band perfect for a Friday the 13th gig.)
Last month Momsen upped the ante with a new five-song EP, Hit Me Like a Man, and if that title makes you uncomfortable, wait until you hear how seductively she delivers lyrics like “Bury me alive / I can see it in your eyes / You want it.” As unlikely as it sounds, the Pretty Reckless is more than your average vanity project; there’s something complicated going on in the band’s music, a reaction to (and certainly an exploitation of) the TV renown Momsen says she’s over. Catch her tonight before the group hits the road as Marilyn Manson’s opening act.—Mikael Wood