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Bully burst onto the scene as a band in 2015 with the debut album Feels Like. That album hooked me, and I consider it one of the best albums of that year. It’s raw and aggressive and frontwoman Alicia Boganno had a voice that cut through the noise of the indie rock scene. Ever since then, the band has gotten Nirvana comparisons, which makes it apt they covered Nirvana’s “About a Girl” in May of this year. Although, I say the band, but it seems that Boganno has left her former band members behind to turn Bully into a solo act with musicians of her choosing being brought in to support her. I did not know that when I listened to Sugaregg, the third album from Bully which was recently released. Maybe that’s because it sounds the same as everything else I’ve heard from Bully. And yet, I can’t help lament the loss of another band turned into a solo project.
While this revelation casts a bit of a dark cloud on Sugaregg to me, it doesn’t change the fact the album still sounds killer. Obviously, Bully will never have the power of Nirvana. Boganno can’t change the landscape of popular music for a variety of reasons. That sound has now dissipated through the world of indie rock. Still, few bands capture what made Nirvana feel like such a slap in the face like Bully. The aggressive sound has gone nowhere. Boganno still has one of the best rock voices out there. It’s loud and powerful while still feeling raspy and raw. The balance is baffling, but it works so well. Interestingly, Boganno has a college degree in audio recording and interned for Steve Albini, who famously worked with Nirvana as well. I think that knowledge has helped make Bully’s sound so distinct and clear. I’m even willing to forgive the fact Sugaregg is a goofy name for an album.
I was not blown away by Sugaregg like I was with Feels Like. Is that because I knew what to expect? Perhaps, and it wouldn’t be fair to hold that against the album. Or it could be that Boganno’s sound hasn’t necessarily developed or evolved. Sugaregg is basically Feels Like but not quite as good. That’s not a bad thing. This is a really good album that brings an energy that I don’t get from a lot of other music I listen to. Bully has a niche carved out in the landscape. It’s a killer sound that will always knock you on your heels. It just won’t knock your socks off.
