BULLY – Trying
aaamusic | On 05, Jun 2015
The first listen Bully’s release ‘Trying’ evokes a strong sense of nostalgia in the form of 90s alt-rock…
So much so that if it had been released 20 years ago would probably have held pride of place on the soundtrack of some awesomely cheesy 90s teen movie. Beneath the surface however, relatable lyrics paint a vivid picture of front woman Alicia Bognanno’s frustration at this unfair and indifferent world and most importantly her own self conflict.
Defeated by fears of failure, missed periods and money problems front woman Alicia Bugnanno battles relentlessly with her own internal struggles and defiantly ‘questions everything’. Equally as engaging as Bugnano’s sweet and catchy vocal melodies are the crunching guitar hooks and the general sense of tenacity. In the chorus Bognanno displays, for the first time, a willingness to fight as she defiantly sings “Trying, to hide from my mind, trying, all the time”. Here she garners all the strength and vigour that remains from her almost defeated self, bringing to mind the primal force of Hole’s Courtney Love yelling “Take everything” in 1994’s ‘Violet’.
Expertly delivered with churning bass lines and melodic lines, contrasting with grungy guitar licks and soaring vocals, it seems Bully have delivered a “Best of…” with just one track. I eagerly await the release of their upcoming LP Feels Like to see what else they have hidden up their sleeves.
