Bully's 'Lucky For You' Is an Indie-Grunge Look at Grief
Photo: Sophia Matinazad
Lucky For You is an intimate look at Bully’s personal journey with grief, dressed in layers of grunge guitars and grit-fueled vocals.
In one word, Lucky For You is raw. It honors the emotional merit of feedback, grit, and layered vocals that are just the slightest bit out of sync, There’s an overarching theme of grief that aches not only in the lyricism but in the sonic color scheme itself. Each sound is tinged with rich texture—all painted with indigo-fuzzed guitars, kaleidoscopic TV-static vocals, and gut-wrenching punches of vibrant drums.
Lucky For You opens with “All I Do,” setting the scene for the indie-grunge experience yet to come. Bully half-screams, half-sings the melody, wailing it out like a battle cry on a war zone of distorted guitars. It’s pristinely messy, and gloriously introduces listeners to the steadfast energy of Alicia Bognanno.
“Days Move Slow” embodies the '90s inspiration that lurks throughout Bully’s work, pairing punky drums and ethereal vocals. Meanwhile, “A Wonderful Life” is a visceral take on loss, embracing the spectrum of confusion and lingering love that comes with it. Bully leans into melody in “Change Your Mind,” a bit of a self-deprecating reflection that leads into the instrumental standout, “How Will I Know,” ebbing and flowing within itself until you are completely swept away by the current. Bully builds the cyclical drum groove and percussive guitar line in such an intricately synchronistic way, like custom-cut puzzle pieces.
“A Love Profound” lets the bass take center stage as the vocals bounce between spoken word and melodic quips. Bully addresses her late dog, Mezzi, directly in this song, mourning the companionship she lost, “Oftentimes, the softness in your gaze brought me to the next day…”
The lead single, “Lose You,” features the vocals of the ever-ethereal Soccer Mommy. The two singers complement each other perfectly, with Bully’s biting tone balanced by Soccer Mommy’s sweetness. The song delves into impermanence, lamenting Bully-style as feedback-galore mingles with punk arrangement.
“Ms. America” takes a bit of a breath arrangement-wise, staying stripped back in the overall context of Lucky For You. Bully chooses to forgo drums and let simple guitar chords and vocal harmonies tell the story, allowing the lyrics to really be heard. And it’s okay, because the closing track, “All This Noise,” definitely balances out the softness of “Ms. America.” Quite literally a wall of noise, this track rages in every way possible. Bully spitfires through political and personal frustrations alike, screaming out words listeners will be more than happy to seethe along to. “As our ego stands in center stage, another life it takes,” she sings.
Dripping with '90s-grunge-inspired angst and softened by the narrative of grief and frustration, Lucky For You is a picturesque depiction of Bully’s artistry.
Listen to Lucky For You below:
