The Pretenders – Pretenders (VG+/VG+) – LP, AU 1980

Pretenders is an LP by The Pretenders from 1980 released on the Real Records, WEA label.

About this album

Pretenders is a fierce, career-launching EP that introduced Chrissie Hynde’s sharp songwriting and uncompromising presence to a wider audience. Issued in 1980, it helped define the band’s early blend of new wave bite, punk attitude and pop instinct, with tracks such as Precious and The Wait showing the group’s tight rhythm section, wiry guitar work and Hynde’s cool, confrontational delivery. Though brief, the release set the template for The Pretenders’ breakthrough sound and signalled the arrival of one of rock’s most distinctive frontwomen, paving the way for the classic debut album that followed soon after.