Kiri Anne Ryan Bereznai, the fiery architect behind the solo powerhouse The Rapid Onset, just dropped “Pretty/Fragile,” the blistering first single from their 2025 album Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!. Imagine if David Lee Roth, Karen O, and Glenn Hughes had a wild night and their child was raised on nothing but Van Halen riffs and Yeah Yeah Yeahs chaos. That’s what we’re dealing with here.
Bereznai, a trans artist who refuses to be boxed by societal expectations, wears every hat here: songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, producer. But don’t mistake The Rapid Onset for a one-person bedroom project. Nah, The Rapid Onset sounds bigger than most full bands out there. We’re talking dual guitars blasting from both speakers – a total Eddie Van Halen move – and harmonies that’ll make you think you’re at a packed arena show. The track’s backbone is pure rock muscle: Marshall and Orange amp IRs blend with cranked tube amps, while her Johnson Millennium 250 head adds a gnarly, vintage bite. The production? Gritty, live-to-tape vibes à la California Breed, with zero digital polish to soften the blow.
“Pretty/Fragile” is a defiance to all those fragile stereotypes. Bereznai’s voice is all over the place, in the best way. One minute they’re snarling like a punk rocker, the next they’re hitting these high notes that’d make an opera singer jealous. It’s like they’re saying, “Screw your idea of what a woman should sound like!” It’s a theme that ties into their broader ethos: where 2022’s RIOTSONGS was a protest album raging against anti-trans legislation, Destroy! pivots inward, merging personal catharsis with activist fire.
The recording process was as DIY as it gets—home studios, closets, and impulse responses—but the chaos works. SmartMunkee of The Underground Sound nailed it: “Raw, heavy punk rock… roars and screams you just know are real.” Bereznai’s refusal to comp takes gives the track a volatile, live-wire edge, like a grenade pin pulled mid-chorus.
“Pretty/Fragile” isn’t just a song; it’s a manifesto. With riffage that hooks like a wrecking ball and vocals that swing between silk and shattered glass, The Rapid Onset proves rock’s rebellious heart is alive, kicking, and gloriously transgressive. Make it loud—this is how you destroy boundaries.