THE PRETTY RECKLESS' TAYLOR MOMSEN Says 'Going To Hell' Is 'Definitely Meant To Be Listened To From Front To Back'

THE PRETTY RECKLESS frontwoman, actress-turned-singer Taylor Momsen, spoke to Alan Sculley of The Augusta Chronicle abou the band's latest album, "Going To Hell", which sold 35,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"I think you just got to listen to it," Momsen said. "It's kind of like describing a painting that you haven't finished. I tend to say nothing, and I like the listener to go in with an open mind of having no preconceived notions or anything convoluting what they're hearing for the first time."

She added: "I think this record is definitely meant to be listened to from front to back. I think the best scenario would be to listen to it like a (PINK) FLOYD record: Go in your room with the light turned out, front to back. These are not three-minute pop songs, so the more you listen to the songs, the more you're going to understand and discover new things in them."

"When we did [2011's] 'Light Me Up', we hadn't toured it yet," she continued. "So we were recording these songs not having played as a band for two and a half years every night. So there was a lot more of a production element to it. This record is very, very raw, stripped down and really just what the band sounds like. There are not a lot of bells and whistles on it. So it really is just guitar, bass, drums, vocal."

In the fall of 2012, while THE PRETTY RECKLESS was recording it at Water Music Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the studio. The storm wiped out the majority of the band's gear as well as a slew of demos and near-completed recordings for their new album.

"No one had any idea how bad it was actually going to be," Momsen said. "We were all thinking it was a little like over-hyped. But it took out everything. It was eight feet of water and sludge and sewage. Hazmat had to come in, the whole thing. So it was quite a bummer."

She continued: "We had a really good vibe going. I think that was the biggest thing, is that we had our set area. We had our studio. Everything was really rolling in like a great way. When it hit, it really put a damper on everything."

Momsen also spoke about the band's split with Interscope Records and decision to sign with Razor & Tie, which released "Going To Hell".

"We got to the point where we were getting heavier and we were going way in a direction and Interscope was going in the opposite direction," she said. "When I signed there, they had Marilyn Manson and Chris Cornell and all of these rock bands that have been, they essentially dropped their rock department. And it just wasn't the right fit anymore.

"We met with a lot of different labels, and they (Razor & Tie) seemed to get it and they really liked the record and they were really into it," she said. "They were the most excited, and you go with who's the most excited about it."