As Pretty Girls Make Graves gets ready to hit China this month with their well-honed emo sound, lead singer Andrea Zollo talks to City Weekend.

Emerging in 2001 from the breakup of several well-established Seattle area bands, Pretty Girls Make Graves was a group of musical misfits, talented but oddly formed with styles ranging from punk to folk, from shoegazer to electronica. Collectively forcing all of these styles together, they created a sound that captured the post-9/11 zeitgeist, with a bolder, punchier drums-forward rock than Seattle bands ventured before.

Since then, Pretty Girls has toured the world with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and fellow Seattleites, Death Cab for Cutie. But in recent months, all of the band's members started to drift in different directions, wandering back to the styles of music they came from. (The odd name, Pretty Girls Make Graves, comes from the title of a Smiths song, which was borrowed from American Beat writer Jack Kerouac.)

While the band is a favorite among the American indie rock scene, they've done so by keeping sincere to their artistic goals—purposefully remaining contemporary without sounding trendy. As Pretty Girls' Derek Fudesco said in an Alternative Press interview, "All of us are making a conscious effort not to fall into that emo-hardcore thing."

Although singer Andrea Zollo handles most of the lead vocals, it's clear this band is a group effort, with each of the five members taking center stage in various publicity photos, as well as all grabbing the mic during recording sessions. However, on the latest record, 2006's "Elan Vital," Zollo's vocals are laid clearly on top, and she's got something to say. The obvious examples are the first single "Parade," a workers' protest anthem, while "The Number" pokes angsty fun at consumer lust, and sounds like an homage to Elastica.

We sat down with singer Zolla before the band's first trip to China, which will also be their last, as they've decided to call it quits after one more go on the road.

City Weekend: Has Pretty Girls Make Graves, as a band, as a project, turned out differently than you expected in the beginning?

Andrea Zolla: Absolutely. We could have never imagined that we would get to see all of the things we've seen, or travel to the places that we have. We have been very fortunate. If you told me in the beginning that I would get to visit China with this band, I would have never believed it!

Your band is widely respected. Any tips for young bands struggling to make it?

The Internet is a great way to get your band heard, especially on a more global level. Even if you create a low budget, little song in your bedroom or basement, you can post it up on MySpace for free, getting the opportunity for anyone to hear it.

What do you know about Chinas music scene?

I have heard that the music scene in China is awesome and that the crowds are incredible—that they really like to go crazy and dance and scream and have a good time, and that would be amazing for us.

Are you going to do any sight-seeing while youre in China?

We are definitely going to try to make it to the Great Wall and even camp there if it is allowed. But I'd also like to experience what day to day life is like in all of these Chinese cities, not just go to the tourist attractions. I'd like to see where the locals hang out and eat and hopefully meet some cool people.