Thursday Throwback is a weekly colour scheme inspired by an iconic album cover of yesteryear. This week’s throwback is the 2014 album “Going to Hell” by The Pretty Reckless. The colours are as follows:
| Colours | HEX | RGB | HSB | CMYK | LAB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colour 1 | #4B3659 | 75, 54, 89 | 276, 39, 35 | 15, 39, 0, 65 | 26, 16, -17 |
| Colour 2 | #150940 | 21, 9, 64 | 253, 86, 25 | 67, 85, 0, 74 | 6, 23, -32 |
| Colour 3 | #A3BFD9 | 163, 191, 217 | 209, 25, 85 | 24, 11, 0, 14 | 76, -3, -16 |
| Colour 4 | #F2E2DC 0 | 242, 226, 22 | 16, 9, 95 | 0, 6, 9, 5 | 90, 4, 4 |
| Colour 5 | #BFADA8 | 191, 173, 168 | 13, 12, 75 | 0, 9, 12, 25 | 72, 5, 4 |
“Going to Hell” is the 2nd studio album by the American rock band The Pretty Reckless. The album was released on the 18th March 2014 through Razor & Tie.
The album “Going to Hell” was recorded at Water Music Recording Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey, with Kato Khandwala overseeing production. The recording process faced significant challenges, notably due to the destruction of the band’s studio by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, necessitating a fresh start. Further delays arose from a disagreement with Interscope Records, initially intended as the album’s distributor before the band switched to Razor & Tie.
Lead singer Taylor Momsen explained that the album is a metaphor for the coexistence of good and evil within everyone. The title track “Going to Hell” explores themes of confronting one’s inner demons and moral ambiguity. Photographer Daniel Hastings photographed the album cover under art direction from Adam Larson. It features a striking image of Taylor Momsen’s naked body viewed from behind. She has a black cross painted down her spine ending in an arrow pointing downwards—an idea partially inspired by Storm Thorgerson’s “Beach Catalogue” poster.
Despite receiving mixed critical reviews upon its release, “Going to Hell” achieved commercial success. It debuted at No. 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart with approximately 35,000 copies sold in its first week and reached No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart—marking The Pretty Reckless’ first top ten entry in both countries. The album produced several successful singles such as “Heaven Knows,” which topped the Mainstream Rock chart as their highest-charting single so far; other tracks like “Messed Up World” and “Follow Me Down” also performed well on rock radio charts.
Over time, “Going to Hell” has been acknowledged as an important contribution to modern rock music for its raw energy, powerful vocals, and fusion of hard rock and grunge influences. Its success firmly established The Pretty Reckless among the leading female-fronted rock bands of the 2010s. Ultimately, this success laid a strong foundation for further growth within their career trajectory while remaining a fan favourite—a defining piece showcasing their capacity for producing compelling contemporary rock music.
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