With the lineup unchanged from the Every Brilliant Eye era, and following exhaustive touring of Europe and the USA,Died Pretty returned to Australia to record Doughboy Hollow with UK producer Hugh Jones. The result was arguably their best album yet; an evocative, rich series of performances with both Ronald S. Peno and Brett Myers at the height of their considerable powers. Peno's voice is fully his own at this point, yearning, mournful, intense, and more all at once, while Myers' guitar work simply grabs the mood and sets it throughout; from the chiming yet dark guitars on "Doused," to his often delicate tones on "Turn Your Head." While John Hoey's keyboards still sometimes are little more than arrangement, his touches like the persistent then relaxed piano line on "D.C." show he has his own skill, while stronger lead performances crop up throughout the album. Chris Welsh's drumming, meanwhile, has grown ever more sophisticated and sharp with time, able to capture the swings from full-on charge to gentler moods. A guest violinist and cellist provide extra shade and elegance, as on the folkish/martial ballad "The Ballad of Stanmore," and its immediate follow-up "The Love Song," a sweet, gently swinging number that, in fact, delivers the opposite sentiments from what the title would indicate.

In Australia, Doughboy Hollow is lauded as a landmark for the group, reaching well beyond their established following, landing in the mainstream top twenty and producing three stunning singles, "Sweetheart", "DC" & "Godbless". Doughboy Hollow is also nominated for two ARIA awards that year - 'Best Independent Album' and 'Best Independent Album Cover' while the overseas press and college/alternative radio also hail Died Pretty as a mighty musical force with US Rolling Stone calling the album 'a gorgeous effort that tells a story with intelligence and grace'. The end result sees Died Pretty part ways with their long time independent label(s) Beggars Banquet/Blue Mosque and move on to sign worldwide with Sony Music's Columbia.

© Ned Raggett, AMG

In 1991, Died Pretty released Doughboy Hollow. It wasn't the first time that I had heard the band but it was the first time that I had really been moved and subsequently affected, to this day, by one recording... start to finish. - Died Pretty fan site