The Prettiots: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

June 15, 2015 by BOB BOILEN •
The Prettiots' songs are winsome and clever, but most of all they're honest and funny. Goodness knows pop music needs some clever fun.
The three women in The Prettiots - Kay Kasparhauser on ukulele and lead vocals, Rachel Trachtenburg from the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players on drums, and bassist Lulu Prat - share their love of everything from Law & Order to old-school girl groups like the Shangri-Las. Their song "Stabler," performed here, is based on Kasparhauser's infatuation with the Law & Order character Elliot Stabler.
"Boys (I Dated In High School)" is the Prettiots tune that first charmed me, thanks mainly to the perfect portrait its brainy rhymes paint:
Martin, that was your name
I met you on the 1 train
You were super duper duper hot
On the 1 train
You said you were a painter
Mostly you were a waiter
A stoner and a skater
So I had to say later,
These are the boys that I dated in high school
I thought they were so nice
And I thought they were so cool
These are the boys that I dated in high school
They weren't very nice
And they weren't very cool
It's the sort of music you'll either adore or abhor; it's hard to be neutral and you'll know it quickly. For me, their appearance at the Tiny Desk totally made my day.
Set List
"Boys (I Dated In High School)" 00:00
"Stabler" 2:55
"Suicide Hotline" 5:29
Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Brian Jarboe; Editor: Morgan Walker; Videographers: Maggie Starbard, Morgan McCloy; Assistant Producer: Michaela Gugliotta; photo by Morgan McCloy/NPR

[@Tuturu708]

This tiny desk was great. Sad that it seems they don’t make music anymore? Instagram is dead and Spotify listener count is low :/

[@jaspercapwell]

I find myself watching this at least once a week. I love it.

[@kathyhollenbach7413]

I never heard this band before but I LOVED this tiny desk concert. Talk about lol!! I love the way they express themselves....those lyrics!!

[@LG-dj9qr]

Where are you beautiful ladies? I miss you.

[@LakeLadyOfficial]

thanks for having these ladies! they're so endearing and relatable

[@muralmarshall5044]

As someone who was suicidal, I love at how Suicide Hotline let's me laugh at the sadness

[@Feedurehed]

Love this, very refreshing, very catching.....I believe I am caught!!!

[@presleymberry]

I love these guys I’m so happy to find this

[@tortellinimeanie]

This is such great, fun music. I'd love to hear more tbh

[@ThaProdigalSun]

i love the shit out of this.

[@flyingcheff]

It's so great to see and hear just simply fun stuff - nothing "important." Fun and even funny - and sometimes cringe-painful shanigans. How to be relevant without ANY value besides just fun (read: no drama)! What happened to just fun? Love this! ❤️ We really did need to know all these unique details; this!

[@ramzyred]

Awesome. Funny, catching lyrics. Nice to watch.

[@jamescooper2110]

This band is great, the lyrics and story telling and how it sounds reminds me a bit of Modern Baseball and the Front Bottoms

[@jeramiemaddox1974]

Rachel Trachtenburg is gorgeous!!!

[@Onbetween]

I like their witty lyrics. Though they're very simple, they're real and raw. I'll defenitely check this band out :)

[@gavinbonner567]

no fair! band members cant promote on their own videos.

[@griffinroberts720]

+Isabel Valentine yeah i love how in the first song they have to rhyme words with themselves repeatedly

[@kaytee6431]

Love this!

[@TheFourteenthWard]

I like them! I hate it when people think everything needs to be serious and life-changing.

[@royshantzis3321]

i think people just get angry when artists try to write something personal and funny at the same time. God forbid some ketchup gets on the pancakes type of kids

[@seekerofpowerfulideas2727]

and for some this is probably very serious and life-changing. Not for me, but I could see that.

[@dylanforesman5998]

thank you, this was nice

[@TheRealWinsletFan]

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

[@AR-ml9eo]

Smart alecks! I loved that last song.

[@artisankatstudios7902]

This is awesome

[@aleistermaxomeg6761]

I love them !

[@goofyskittles]

Brushes for the drummer might have picked up more sound from the High Hat. Love this group

[@outa5136]

a band to look out for

[@ebrad009]

Can we ask modern baseball to do a tiny desk?

[@lincolnsthename]

+ebrad009 music labeled as "emo" post 1994 isn't chic enough for anyone with "good taste" to like. same with ska. so i doubt it'll happen. but it'd be fucking awesome.

[@ebrad009]

+Lincoln Vlogs I feel like it could happen. I have hope.

[@OsolocoAZ]

Never know what I am gonna see on Tiny Desk Concerts. That's why I love them. Thanks for this.

[@kmnorth2398]

I liked this way more than I want to admit. So good

[@KrystleBaller]

I dig it. Playful and fun. They seem like they'd be fun to hang out with. I'd rather listen to this than the pop shit that gets played on the radio. This makes me think of garfunkel and oats.

[@djgates06]

I just picked there album on rsd sale it does sound like Garfunkel pretty cool not bad ..

[@jenniferthompson8327]

Sweet, refreshingly funny. Easy on the ears.

[@StealYourFace7731]

loved it

[@aw00gag0rl]

This is the best thing ✨🙌

[@BalletRosesOfficial]

Brilliant! Fun!

[@tippysouthcloud7991]

Hahaha I love you guys!

[@toniwhitten8365]

I love them so much :')

[@manni7296]

This is my first time hearing the band, and honestly you guys are over reacting. I know it doesn't put you on this spiral of deep thought, but I think it's pretentious to need every band you listen to to have a this certain level of 'depth'. If the lyrics aren't poetic and the music is repetitive it's not worth listening to? Sometimes it's refreshing hearing something this honest, simple and light-hearted.

[@a1m05tg0n3]

MannyCool Some people don't like fun or maybe they are too busy acting hard or however they think they should be acting at the time.

[@larrybud]

Ty Steger Or maybe we're tired of boring repetitive lyrics.

[@gladysdahmen7612]

+MannyCool I'm a female musician who has been playing in bands for 20+ years and honestly, this is just awful. It's not smart enough to really be fun/ny or witty, just vanilla whiney. And I won't even comment on the musicality.

[@gladysdahmen7612]

+MannyCool Addendum: The only thing I like about this band is that the singing is not affected like most female vocalists in our current time, so I give them one star for that.

[@ricksmith4201]

+Gladys Dahmen well they're probably a lot more successful than you, so they have to be doing something right

[@benjeffery9734]

This is ace.

[@AalbertTorsius]

Reminds me of Cub. Great sound!

[@RaeisAwkward]

The lead singer's voice reminds me of Kimya Dawson

[@JohnSmith-kt3yy]

Rae E But a lot prettier

[@friskygato]

They kind of remind me of That Dog, which was a 90's band.

[@oldasyouromens]

You honestly either love it or hate it. I happen to have been raised on BNL and Regina and Ingrid, so this is actually in the 'love' category for me, but I can see why a lot of people would find it annoying.

[@nathanielgray]

solid acoustic pop punk. very nice.

[@richardengquist5070]

great band. once again irony goes over the heads of the internet comment section...

[@MercronLoL]

@president camacho that's not how irony works lmao

[@ThinkOnerandProdigy]

You had me at ukulele.

[@klakaboomeloli]

I recently saw a band at a music festival in my town; they're called Harpeth Rising. I would genuinely love to see them at Tiny Desk. Please!

[@Scamc1974]

lol 90's all the way, but fun.

[@thenewniccage2283]

I feel kind of bad for Beardy being included with such bad company, tbh

[@kansasandinmisery]

Loved it. For me the hook is the almost-too-many lyrics in her songs.

[@zachcotter-aschoff2727]

The little drummer is playing a sweater, soooo goood

[@Scarecrowmusic415]

Nice!

[@vincgazoil]

vous êtes magnifiques les filles !!

[@pollyplaisance]

This reminds me of one of my favorite 90s bands- That Dog. I love it!! Love the witty lyrics and harmonies.

[@stellen11]

I love it. There concerts must be heaps of fun.

[@riverboydrew4513]

I like them

[@artfact2]

This is damn awesome stuff!:D Also, Meg White appears to have a serious contender for cutest drummer ever.

[@AnthonieMusic]

Fucking awesome!!

[@noelmurray8052]

I like this better than their recorded stuff, its funnier when its more upbeat

[@chaseadams347]

Getting a Bare Naked Ladies vibe.

[@ChilleDINJerseY]

Absolutely loved it. Listened to it 100 times

[@BrianPhipps]

¡GO!

[@tomnissen4201]

Wow I want them to team up with the Front Bottoms! She's the girl version of Brian.

[@sandiesing8142]

Cool ukulele playing. Delightful, fun song!

[@RolandStrykala]

these high school boys, nice

[@C4millee99]

I no rite

[@RolandStrykala]

+Adrian Brown i mean the lyric, not the girls

[@C4millee99]

oh

[@frarfarf]

Why the fck does this band have 1 album 7 years ago then nothing

[@byehunny9113]

Yes yes yes.

[@scootcha]

The people who disliked this are 90's kids who only listen to what their dad listened and thinks anything they do is superior. There's nothing wrong with making a simple, catchy song.

[@EVH_]

stumpz they're not really catchy...

[@scootcha]

Evan Blamilton Good for you.

[@MultiSupporter]

stumpz i was born in 94, and i really enjoyed. but hey how many other 21 year olds listen to npr. lolz

[@blackplains4381]

stumpz i dont know man. these songs are pretty fucking terrible

[@ricksmith4201]

+stumpz is that the fuckin polycount pin

[@blahkabelison2234]

"on a scale of one to plath, im like a four" is my favorite lyric ever

[@Vampyre_Brat]

this is the cute girl band I was waiting for, honestly.

[@watermelonsurfbort]

suicide hotline is my fav. very clever lyrics and i think weve all been there. rad group

[@BrianPhipps]

And Accoustic Basses Too. And A PRS Accoustic. And A Takameme Non-whootie Variety.

[@isaican]

I think its good stuff :) The likes on this video speak more about them than the comments :P

[@fizmath1994]

original lyrics, cool

[@starlitsky4156]

I didn’t date anybody in high school

[@FossilFishy]

"On a scale of one to Plath..." Brilliant! Fun and smart, love it. And now let the inevitable comments about their appearance, their perceived relationship to hipsterism, their age, their gender, and all the other things that matter not one whit to the creation of entertaining music begin....

[@Figs3]

Foot Lettuce your opinion is wrong.

[@ricksaunders]

Zoot swell!

[@mike0rr]

NPR is such a wealth of good music I would other wise never have heard. Have these ladies on vinyl now

[@ChilleDINJerseY]

Go to the second song if you dont like the first

[@myleftbrain]

Any chance of getting James Hill in for TDC?

[@bezzarguy]

I may be something of a music snob but i have to admit, i like this. The last song had great lyrics. On a second listen, this is fine, clever songwriting.

[@scottscott9150]

Every dipshit on Earth fancies themselves a music snob ie: I'm an super important special music critic on the downlow (in my mind) because I'M MEE. Gag

[@bobbob24able]

It makes me sad to see people hating on this band because it's silly and goofy. Just because NPR decided to put on a group that wasn't singing vague and depressing songs. People who loved that awful Girlpool Tiny Desk concert are the ones who hate this. I love watching Tiny Desk Concerts for the small amount of (in my opinion) quality artists, but it really makes it not fun to see people just constantly talking shit about bands that don't fit into their shoegaze genre

[@martincarney3837]

Good first song, ready for the second. Real time updates. Elliot Stabler.

[@BrianPhipps]

23. And, don't tell your mom.

[@BrianPhipps]

New Drum Kit For Chah. She Getz Best Zildjian brother fighting Brass Too.

[@Noel11897]

I'm no expert but i mean don't u drum with sticks?

[@122123]

why dont the drummer have sticks?

[@tobybrundin3135]

Trachtenburg!

[@jackcuddy4613]

Lol I really love how any band that doesn’t have any dudes in it gets shit on by a bunch of bros in the comments and then everyone else fills up the comments defending the musicians and nobody really ends up appreciating the music. Also love how any girls that are in bands that have mostly dudes in them are only referred to as “the girl on ____ is so _____ (hot, pretty, etc.)” and then the music takes a backseat yet again. Best part: these bros think they’re not only making intelligent analysis of the music but they honk they are the authority on music appreciation.

[@jam6978]

The guitarist looks like Amy Winehouse!!!!

[@markg9178]

Phoebe from Friends-esque?

[@ckallaher]

They're like bizarro world Haim! The other three, more twisted sisters.

[@latenightcereal2390]

that first song says dont date that girl. even now

[@xanfus]

Reminds me of Garfunkel and Oates lol

[@miyabeintema519]

I think they're actually pretty cool! I liked the third song, and the first two were just fun to listen to

[@fernweh9316]

God damnit i need to be working not binging tiny desk concerts

[@BrianPhipps]

¡We Beefin' Now, Gurl! ¡👁️ Luh You! I Want You To Preform At My Wedding.

[@kristinamathony4672]

Kind of awkward but I like it

[@EQCLIVES]

Wednesday Addams on drums

[@sandersj5170]

they remind me of Garfunkel and oats

[@martincarney3837]

Martin here, that is my name. I am super duper hot!

[@BrianPhipps]

But, You All Getz Orange Amp Heads And Speakers or Comparable Also If New 🍊s can't be sourzed.

[@abbiehamilton7900]

KIMYA DAWSON AF