Bully Returns with 'Lucky for You,' Her Best Album Yet
Alicia Bognanno's fourth outing finds her at her most confident and captivating.
If you enjoy this review of Bully’s ‘Lucky for You,’ why not share or subscribe to Check This Out!? You’ll receive fresh tunes in your inbox three times a week while supporting this entirely independent music e-rag. Rad!
Feels Like, the debut album from Bully, was one that seemed to come out of nowhere while being one of my favorite records all the way back in 2015. Led by singer and guitarist Alicia Bognanno, Bully was well ahead of the nineties alternative revival with their noisy hook-filled choruses on early singles like “Trying” and “Too Tough.” Two years later, they mostly avoided the sophomore slump with Losing before Bognanno made Bully a solo project with SUGAREGG in 2020. As much as I tried, the record was one I couldn’t get into.
That tune has changed, though, with Bully’s new album, Lucky for You, where Bognanno does some major course correction, leading to the best record of her career so far. Bully has always featured walls of distorted guitars, but Lucky for You is relentless in riding crunchy waves throughout its briskly-paced ten songs. Bognanno, who once studied under the legendary Steve Albini, has always self-produced Bully’s efforts but looks to Nashville producer JT Daly to guide the boards on this new album, a move that breathes fresh air into the project’s sound. The change is immediately apparent with the opener, “All I Do,” which finds Bognanno proclaiming, “‘Cause I’m not leaving here, burned-out wasting tears, I’m done, If I, I was not myself, lost in something else, I’m done, I’m done,” in her best vintage Courtney Love impression.
Much of Lucky for You is about Bognanno’s journey in sobriety, and “Hard to Love” explores this with some fuzzed-out bass and feedback for good measure. “How Will I Know” finds her tempted to dwell on past mistakes, but instead, choosing to live in the moment through Bognanno’s signature raw and emotional lyrics. Like the similarly excellent album, GIZMO, from Tanukichan, most of Lucky for You was lyrically driven by the loss of Bognanno’s dog, Mezzi. The record’s Britpop lead single, “Days Move Slow,” and the touching “A Wonderful Life,” perfectly capture the heart-wrenching feelings of losing your best friend.
Soccer Mommy shows up for a guest feature on the fetching “Lose You” before Bognanno dives into the burning world for the album’s final two tracks. “Miss America” is the only time that Lucky for You slows down for a somber reflection on a country in turmoil, as Bognanno declares, “All I wanted was a daughter, try my best to raise her, but the whole world’s caught fire, and I don’t wanna teach a kid to fight.” “All This Noise” is the other side of the coin, a glorious punk protest pairing that finds Bognanno out of patience with the state of things. “Jesus won’t save the polar bears or halt the melting ice, but he’ll give you an excuse to shame and take our body’s rights.” These lyrical moments make Lucky for You decisively contemporary, while the record’s massive choruses are back in the dream of the nineties.
Like the recently reviewed Endless Harmony by The Lemon Twigs, Lucky for You is a beautiful example of an artist surpassing their debut while entirely comfortable in their skin on their fourth record. Feels Like may have laid the groundwork for Bully’s sound, but Lucky for You is Alicia Bognanno at her full potential, and her confidence is captivating. 2023 is shaping to be the year of amazing female-driven alternative throwbacks, and I’m all about it.
Lucky for You is available now on Sub Pop.
Have you listened to Lucky for You? Let me know your thoughts!
Bully’s upcoming tour dates:
Tue. Jun. 06 - New York, NY - Racket
Thu. Jun. 08 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
Fri. Jun. 09 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia *
Sat. Jun. 10 - Washington, DC - The Anthem *
Mon. Jun. 12 - Columbus, OH - KEMBA Live! *
Tue. Jun. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE *
Wed. Jun. 14 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center *
Fri. Jun. 16 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater *
Sat. Jun. 17 - Asheville, NC - Rabbit Rabbit *
Tue. Jun. 20 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy *
Wed. Jun. 21 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore *
Fri. Jun. 23 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center *
Sat. Jun. 24 - Dallas, TX - Southside Ballroom *
Sun. Jun. 25 - Austin, TX - Moody Amphitheater *
Thu. Aug. 10 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
Fri. Aug. 11 - St. Louis, MO - Off-Broadway
Sat. Aug. 12 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
Mon. Aug. 14 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
Tue. Aug. 15 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
Wed. Aug. 16 - Boise, ID - TBD
Fri. Aug. 18th - Seattle, WA - Neptune
Sat. Aug. 19 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
Sun. Aug. 20 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre
Tue. Aug. 22 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Wed. Aug. 23 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
Thu. Aug. 24 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction
Fri. Aug. 25 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
Sat. Aug. 26 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
Mon. Aug. 28 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf
Tue. Aug. 29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Beer City Music Hall
Thu. Aug. 31 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
Thu. Sep. 14 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel
Fri. Sep. 15 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
Sat. Sep. 16 - Milwaukee, WI - X-Ray Arcade
Sun. Sep. 17 - Detroit, MI - Loving Touch
Tue. Sep. 19 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
Wed. Sep. 20 - Albany, NY - Lark Hall
Thu. Sep. 21 - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom
Fri. Sep. 22 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
Sat. Sep. 23 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian
Sun. Sep. 24 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
* w/ Pixies and Franz Ferdinand
Like this record? Here are some other recent albums you may enjoy:
Blondshell Drops an Explosive Introduction That Is the Best Debut of the Year (so Far)
Billy Nomates Takes a Giant Leap on Her Second Album, 'Cacti'
Made me think of Tonya Donnelly and Belly...I like it!