The Pretty Reckless have released the title track from their forthcoming fifth studio album Dear God, with Taylor Momsen describing the song as an expression of desperation and survival ahead of the record’s June 26 release.
by Paul Cashmere
The Pretty Reckless have unveiled Dear God, the latest single and title track from the band’s upcoming fifth studio album due on June 26 through Fearless Records. The release continues the rollout of a record that frontwoman Taylor Momsen says draws heavily from personal experience and emotional vulnerability.
The release matters beyond a standard album campaign because it continues the group’s shift toward more autobiographical songwriting while maintaining the hard rock foundation that established their audience. Across more than a decade, The Pretty Reckless have developed from a New York rock act into one of the most commercially successful female-fronted bands in contemporary rock radio. The upcoming album appears to continue that trajectory while pushing into more introspective territory.
Musically, Dear God leans into a slower and more atmospheric structure before expanding into a heavier arrangement. The song centres around Momsen’s vocal performance and lyrics framed around struggle and escape. In the chorus she asks, “Dear God, can you lift me up, can you take me higher / Dear God, can you lift me up, keep me from a fire.”
Momsen described the song in direct terms.
“Dear God is desperation set to music. When life gets that physical, that brutal, you leave your body and start begging something bigger than yourself to pull you out,” she said.
“That space between heaven and hell isn’t a metaphor. It’s somewhere you actually live.”
The track builds gradually toward an extended guitar section, allowing the instrumentation to take a larger role in the song’s emotional arc. Thematically, the material appears connected to broader ideas explored throughout the album, including identity, survival and personal conflict.
The release follows several strong chart performances for the band. For I Am Death became the group’s eighth Number One song on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, extending a record that has helped establish The Pretty Reckless as one of the dominant acts in the format. When I Wake Up also reached the Top 10 at Active Rock radio and continued momentum leading into the album campaign.
The band’s story stretches back to 2009 when Momsen transitioned from acting into a full-time music career. Working with guitarist Ben Phillips and producer Kato Khandwala, The Pretty Reckless developed a sound rooted in hard rock and alternative influences.
Their 2010 debut Light Me Up introduced tracks including Make Me Wanna Die and Miss Nothing, while Going To Hell in 2014 expanded the band’s audience with songs such as Heaven Knows and Messed Up World (F’d Up World). Subsequent albums Who You Selling For and Death By Rock And Roll continued that momentum.
The period surrounding Death By Rock And Roll carried particular emotional weight following the death of longtime collaborator Khandwala in 2018. The grief and reflection surrounding that period became a significant part of the band’s songwriting. Since then, The Pretty Reckless have maintained a large international profile, spending almost two years supporting AC/DC on the Power Up tour.
Outside their own releases, Momsen has also remained visible through high-profile collaborations and performances. She performed with Soundgarden during the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and recently participated in the MusiCares Person of the Year gala honouring Mariah Carey.
The band’s recent activity has also extended beyond traditional album cycles. In 2025 they released Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas, which revisited Where Are You Christmas?, a song associated with Momsen’s childhood acting career. The re-recorded version later reached Number One on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart.
For The Pretty Reckless, Dear God arrives as both continuation and reset. The group enters this album cycle with established commercial success and a decade-long catalogue behind them, but the language surrounding the record suggests an effort to push into more personal territory. The album will be followed by a global headline tour beginning in North America before continuing into Europe.
Dear God Track Listing:
Life Evermore Pt. 2
For I Am Death
When I Wake Up
Love Me
Dragonfire
Dear God
Life Evermore Pt. 3
About You
Spell On You
Rollercoaster Of Life
Eye Of The Storm
Devil In Disguise (Michelle’s Song)
Dark Days
Life Evermore Pt. 1
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