Eighteen months ago, the Preatures debuted in their native Australia with a song called “Is This How You Feel?” This followed years of honing their sound, but to the public’s ears, they already sounded fully-formed: tight rhythms, catchy melodies, and a dynamic frontwoman in Isabella “Izzy” Manfredi. “Is This How You Feel?” caught on in a big way in Australia, but it took some time to make its way to our shores. Spoon’s Jim Eno took a liking to the group, and The Preatures teamed up with him for three weeks following SXSW a few months ago, hunkering down in his West Austin recording studio to knock out their debut album. Blue Planet Eyes is just as self-assured as that debut single, showing off traces of Joan Jett and the Pretenders.
Even if they’re not a household name yet, the Preatures sound and look like it. In their recent Studio 1A performance, they strutted across the stage like rock stars (Manfredi even did hand-stands for the captive audience). “Cruel” is their spotlight moment, snapping into focus with an attitude that’s infectious.
