Angsty Dreams Come True

Bully has been around since 2013 and have now released two full-length albums. Losing was released this month and is a high-energy album full of angst. Bully is fronted by Alicia Bognanno, who also works on the recording and producing of their work. Along with being multi-talented, Bognanno brings unique vocals to Bully, which strengthens their ’90s grunge sound they are sporting.

The album starts with a song that seems to have some Nirvana vibes to it. The track is titled “Feel the Same” and has a relaxed chaos feel about it. The structure of this track alone makes for an intriguing song, with the vocals ranging from being more of a calm, whisper feel to a chaotic yelling paired with guitars that are just fun to listen to based on the distortion. This track gives a good idea as to what is to come on the rest of the album and does a good job of setting the stage.

The next track, “Kills to Be Resistant” is the definition of what a garage rock band would produce. There are plenty of edgy lyrics matched with yelling to really get the point across. On one hand, the yelling in the track really aids in getting the message through to the listeners, but it is also nice to hear calmer singing from Bognanno, in the sense that it shows the range her voice really has. This is one of the tracks that could get anyone at a show moving along with the beat, as well as one that could get stuck on repeat in one’s head.

“Running” is a refreshing track on the album in the sense that the listeners really get to hear the bass in the beginning of the song. It opens with a strong bass line before going into the rest of the song where everyone else in the group showcases their talents. This track also has the fun ups and downs that offer complexity to the way the song is heard, which is always a nice touch to a song.

“Blame” is later on the album, but is one of the stand out tracks on the entirety of Losing. While listening to it, the lyrics tend to just jump out at the listener and do a great job of painting the picture Bognanno more than likely wanted the listener to see. The majority of the song utilizes Bognanno’s actual singing voice, rather than the majority being the yell-singing Bully is known for. While this is a big difference for Bully listeners, it is a nice touch because it breaks up the album’s sound and creates another layer for the listener.

The album goes on to produce more songs, much like the tracks the album started with, yet each has its own little twist to it so that it doesn’t all blend together. It seems that Bully is becoming more comfortable with themselves in this second release and will continue to make a name for themselves in the rock scene.