In September, Pretty Girls Make Graves' sophomore record, The New Romance, was released amid a whirlwind of activity. During the week of the CD's release, the band played a local in-store at Ballard's Sonic Boom Records; they performed a doesn't-get-much-cheaper-than-$5 show for a packed room at the Showbox; and besides that, they had reviews, interviews, and mentions in just about every magazine in the whole wide world. You couldn't avoid them even if you tried.

Their intense work ethic has paid off, too, because since its September 9 release, The New Romance has been gobbled up by 30,000 people. That's like 476 records a day! So obviously, I'm not the only PGMG fan, and it's not too hard to see why. The New Romance, while stylistically still very much a Pretty Girls record, is sonic proof that PGMG have done a lot of evolving and experimenting with their sound since their debut full-length, Good Health. Andrea Zollo has begun to really showcase her vocal abilities, and the music has gotten more involved, with multiple layers working together to create a new mood from song to song.

I became addicted to this record, and did my best to catch as many performances as possible, but then PGMG left for tour and I was lost without them. I'm so happy to report, then, that the Pretty Girls camp has returned to our lovely city and they're playing a show at the UW's HUB North Den on Friday, November 14. So if you've yet to hop on the cool train and join the rest of the world in Pretty Girls admiration, here's an excellent chance. Opening are the Blood Brothers and Akimbo (now that's a show!). It's $6 for those with a valid UW student ID, and $12 for those without.

"But Megan, I can't go to the Pretty Girls show on Friday, because I'm going to the Anti-Flag/Against Me! show at Graceland that night!" you're saying. Right--I understand your dilemma, but don't fret! Anti-Flag and Against Me! are playing two shows this week--one on Friday, one on Saturday--and both are all ages (take note: They have a crazy 4:30 pm start time).

"But Megan, I don't even know who Against Me! is!" you're crying. You fool! Against Me! is a Florida band whose blend of Billy Bragg-influenced punk rock/alt-country/folk recently got them signed to Fat Wreck Chords. Since witnessing their sweat-fueled live show this past summer in a smelly Tacoma basement, I've become a fan. All the people crammed in that hot little room knew every word, singing along at the top of their lungs.

One song that got everyone going was "Baby, I'm an Anarchist," a humorous look at love amid the WTO protests: "Baby, I'm an anarchist and you're a spineless liberal. We marched together for the eight-hour day and held hands in the streets of Seattle. But when it came time to throw bricks through that Starbucks window, you left me all alone, all alone."

Be prepared to have fun during their set, even without the bricks. MEGAN SELING

megan@thestranger.com