asauldm | Music

Dear God is the fifth studio album by American rock band The Pretty Reckless, released on June 26, 2026, via Fearless Records. Marking the band’s first full-length release since Death by Rock and Roll (2021), the album features 14 tracks with a total runtime of around 50 minutes.

About the Album

Dear God is noticeably darker and more personal than the band’s previous work. Lyrically, the album centers on death, addiction, self-destruction, grief, faith, loneliness, the search for meaning, and redemption. Taylor Momsen uses rock music as a medium to address complex, deeply personal experiences, resulting in a sound that is less glamorous and more emotionally raw.

At the same time, the band stays true to its proven musical foundation: heavy guitar riffs, bluesy tones, massive rock choruses, and Momsen’s distinct vocals. Their recent years of experience—including large-scale live shows and touring with AC/DC—are evident throughout, further reinforcing the classic rock character of the material, according to critics.

Key Tracks

• “For I Am Death” — One of the heaviest and darkest tracks, framing death almost as a character, with themes of addiction and self-destruction adding extra drama. It served as one of the album’s lead singles.
• “When I Wake Up” — A faster, punk-infused track addressing excess and the consequences of a wild lifestyle. Its energetic rhythm and big chorus make it a standout live anthem.
• “Love Me” — One of the most vulnerable pieces. Behind its hard-rock exterior lies a story of insecurity, a need for love, and wanting to feel wanted. Momsen’s emotional vulnerability made this track a critical favorite.
• “Dragonfire” — A dynamic track driven by prominent acoustic guitars that gradually builds into a massive rock number. Kerrang! highlighted it as one of the freshest moments on the album.
• “Dear God” — The emotional core of the record. Structured as a desperate prayer, the narrator reaches out to God while caught between hopelessness and hope. Momsen’s vocals are especially dramatic, building to a climax through an intense guitar solo. Several reviews name this title track one of the strongest in the band’s history.
• “About You” — A contrast to the darker side of the record. It brings a lighter, nearly ’80s-inspired rock feel with a defiant tone directed at a specific person. However, critics met this musical experiment with a cooler reception.

Structural Features

A unique element of the album is the “Life Evermore” trilogy (Pt. 2, Pt. 3, and Pt. 4). These tracks act as atmospheric transitions, binding the distinct parts of the record into a unified narrative—a structure highlighted by AllMusic. However, these interludes divided listeners, with some user reviews suggesting they could have been combined into a single piece rather than feeling like filler.

Reception

Professional reaction to Dear God has been overwhelmingly positive. Kerrang! awarded the album 4/5 stars, calling it one of the best works by The Pretty Reckless and particularly highlighting the depth of the lyrics, alongside tracks like “Love Me“, “Dear God“, and “Dragonfire“.

Distorted Sound also rated the release highly, describing it as an ambitious continuation of their previous work and a darker, grimmer chapter in the band’s evolution. Other reviews note that while the band isn’t reinventing their musical formula, they are noticeably expanding their sound by adding more emotional weight, bluesy elements, and punk energy.

At the same time, not all critics were fully satisfied. The Soundboard felt that the album occasionally focuses too heavily on Momsen, without always giving the other band members enough space to shine. Critics also pointed to a degree of monotony in the vocal delivery and a slight drop in momentum during the album’s second half, with “About You” singled out as one of the weaker tracks.

Among listeners, the response is similarly mixed yet overall positive. Fans particularly praise Taylor Momsen, the emotional honesty, solid guitar work, and strong rock tracks. However, a portion of the audience found the record less compelling, mainly due to the slower second half and the Life Evermore interludes.

Summary

Dear God is one of the darkest, most personal, and emotionally open albums by The Pretty Reckless. The band isn’t trying to radically change their formula, but rather mature it: classic hard rock, bluesy guitars, and Taylor Momsen’s powerful vocals now tackle themes of death, addiction, grief, faith, and self-discovery. The album shines brightest on tracks like “For I Am Death”, “When I Wake Up”, “Love Me”, “Dragonfire”, and “Dear God”, whereas the second half of the record feels less dynamic for some listeners.

As a result, Dear God comes across not as a revolution, but as a confident and mature evolution for The Pretty Reckless—a record that should particularly appeal to fans of Halestorm, Dorothy, The Warning, AC/DC, and modern bluesy hard rock.