The Pretty Flowers

The Pretty Flowers, formed in 2013 in Los Angeles by songwriter Noah Green, crystallized its core lineup of Green (vocals, guitar), Sam Tiger (bass, backing vocals), Jake Gideon (guitar, backing vocals) and Sean Johnson (drums, percussion) in 2018. Their debut album, Why Trains Crash was released in June of that year to rave reviews. In 2023 they released their follow-up LP, A Company Sleeve, solidifying their reputation with critics and fans alike for all-killer/no-filler indie rock. Their third LP, Never Felt Bitter, will be released on March 27, 2026.

The music on Never Felt Bitter—the quartet’s first release for Chicago-based Forge Again Records—is the result of playing together on hundreds of nights in innumerable bars and clubs across Southern California and beyond. Over the years the band has honed a fearsome melding of pop melodicism and raw physicality. Their knack for crafting catchy anthems for outsiders and underdogs has made them one of the most respected underground bands in L.A.

The new album was born against a backdrop of constant upheaval in the band’s hometown. From the election to the fires to the ICE raids, stability in Los Angeles and beyond had never seemed less certain. “There’s a sense of urgency, fear and confusion that comes across in these new songs,” says Johnson. “Like each song might be the last song we write, or this might be the last album. If anything, it’s the most present we’ve ever been.”

"We all put a piece of ourselves into this album, some combination of our mental, physical, and emotional selves," says Tiger. "Never Felt Bitter is an album only the four of us together could make. It's a push and pull. Discussions, arguments, agreements and trust. I couldn't be more proud of what we worked together to create.”

Though their music is laced with echoes of The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub and Wilco, The Pretty Flowers aren’t nostalgists. Instead of chasing periods or trends, the objective is to make music that stands outside of time. “When your goals as a band do not include fame and fortune,” says Gideon, “it gives you a freedom to follow your instincts and focus on the real reasons you were compelled to make art in the first place.” “The career is not the point,” says Green. “You make music and place it in a stream of musical history. A release date is just its first day. Maybe it’s picked up now, or maybe 20 years from now. But from this date onward, it gets a life.”