Bully’s Alicia Bognanno never considered having anyone else sing on one of her songs — that is, until she wrote her latest single “Lose You.” The track features background vocals from Sophie Allison of Soccer Mommy, whose voice seamlessly blends with Boganno’s own. “I love Sophie's voice and have always admired everything she does so to me it was a no brainer,” Bognanno writes in a release. “Watching her soar out of the Nashville scene and dominate indie music world wide has been a joy.”
Sonically, “Lose You” signals further steps in a new direction for Bully, following the exploratory direction of 2020’s Sugaregg with a more laid-back tone than Bognanno’s previous work. But as with that LP, the new single — Bully’s second since Sugaregg, following “Just for Love” — still rocks hard. The verses are driven by a classic drums-and-guitar combo that are impossible to resist bopping your head to, and the bridge gives way to an acoustic guitar melody that sounds straight from the soundtrack to a ’90s coming-of-age film. Regarding the way Bognanno makes pop work for her, you could say that she’s keeping the spirit of Kurt Cobain alive and well, and the new tune is simply more “Come as You Are” than, say, “In Bloom” or “Territorial Pissings.”
Her lyrics reflect on the turbulence of change and how figuring out how to accept it can make life a little easier to manage. “Lose You” acknowledges how hard it is to turn the world off and focus on your immediate existence, as Bognanno sings: “I could think about it all night / Run it over till it sounds right / I'd do anything to get it back now.” The fallout of 2020 has left us all a little more pensive, and as she knows, that isn’t always for the better.
In the fall, Bognanno teased an upcoming fourth Bully album, so this could be a good sign that more new music isn’t far away. Can check out “Lose You” in the above embed, on Bandcamp or your preferred streaming platform. Bully will support The Breeders at their sold-out Basement East show on March 16, and you’ll have more chances to catch Bognanno & Co. in action this summer on tour supporting the Pixies.
