Those Pretty Wrongs enter their tenth year as a band having just toured the U.S., UK and Australia in support of their best-reviewed album yet, Holiday Camp, which Mojo called “irresistible” for its “celestial harmonies and dealing with wrangled emotions” while Uncut hailed the album for its “dreamily autumnal mastery of the power pop form” – but, how did they get here?

Jody Stephens and Luther Russell have a musical partnership borne of a deep and lasting friendship, the roots of which stretch back to 1992 when they were first introduced. As the story goes, nary a note of music was made between them until 2013 when they were united for the documentary Nothing Can Hurt Me about Jody’s alma mater, the legendary Memphis group Big Star. They noticed their voices harmonised really well and set about writing songs and recording them forthwith.

After releasing their self-titled debut Those Pretty Wrongs in 2016 to a healthy dose of acclaim, Jody and Luther hit the road, managing to play for audiences all around the globe. And in the course of these runs, they began to forge the sound for their second offering, 2019’s Zed For Zulu, an earthy meditation on human interaction and communication. The music as always was a symphony of chords and melodies, yet played in an understated fashion, without too much fuss. Those Pretty Wrongs don’t have time to fuss, as Luther dwells in Los Angeles and Jody still resides in Memphis. And they like it that way. “The first record was sort of a little miracle that could, and I truly never expected to even make a second. But here we are with our third LP out, Holiday Camp...”, says Luther with more than a few notes of wonder.

Jody Stephens’ contribution to the pop canon goes well beyond his beginnings in Big Star, helping to refine alt-country with Golden Smog and shaping the Ardent Studios legacy well into the current era. Luther maintains his long-storied career as a solo artist, producer and songwriter, having recently been inducted into the Oregon Music Hall Of Fame and composed for the Grammy-winning album Blood Harmony by Larkin Poe. After all these years, the working approach to the way Jody and Luther make music together is aptly summed up: Those Pretty Wrongs have it when it “seems right”.

Artwork always comes from Luther’s inks and pencils, and the words mainly flow from Jody’s pen and paper. Those Pretty Wrongs will hit the UK this September to bring a decade of their music to everyone they can. “Coming out on the other side of making these records and feeling good about them is the grand reward,” contemplates Jody. “It’s a shared experience of those that help along the way.”

Ziggy Alberts

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