CD of The Week

A lot of us probably don't think much about the formative moments of our teens and early twenties; those small but cumulative incidents that triggered a loss of innocence, a feeling of freedom, or a bigger revelation about the word, however sweet or cynical it was. Nashville band Bully sure do though, in part because they're likely still experiencing them. Also, going from Bandcamp to SXSW to the major label debut Feels Like in less than a year probably forces a band to grow up fast. The speed of their ascent doesn’t dull the details that Alicia Bognanno rips through about the sensory memory of those painfully specific moments and what they signify. She and the rest of the band never fail to make those moments and memories feel positively triumphant, or at least sound that way while feeling more manageable and mundane.

Less than two minutes into the album and we're already awash in memory on the aptly titled "I Remember." Bognanno remembers how it felt to throw up in your car, how your sheets smelled, and of course how you made her feel when all of that happened. We may not have been in that specific car or bed, but we've all had moments like that. Further memories will likely be triggered by the rush of exhilarating, 90's Nooner-worthy grunge guitars. Said stakes are also palpable in lyrics where a girl prays for her period to hit, or realizes that a seemingly stand-up guy is completely capable of hitting a girl

The name that seems to come up most frequently in conversations about Bognanno is Courtney Love, and there's definitely validity to that comparison in her vocals and even lyrics. But it also does a disservice to just how dynamic Bully is on a sonic level. Alicia can Live Through This with the best of them when she wants to, but there's also a sugary dose of Juliana Hatfield to her delivery on songs like "Trying." There are also the same spacey, psyched out guitars in "Reason" that Tame Impala made their bread and butter with. "Trash" even opens with a brooding bass throb worthy ofTitle TK-era Breeders before blowing up into blunt fury like, well, Pod-era Breeders.

Fittingly released at the start of the summer, Feels Like speeds by like that rush of warmth and waves, both physical and emotional, that all summers seem to have. It also finds a nascent Nashville band quickly coming of age themselves, pushing and perfecting their sound and their selves as they seethe and soothe their way into adulthood and all of the visibility and vulnerability that entails.

After their recent opening stint with Best Coast, Bully return to Philly at Boot & Saddleon September 30th.

*Donate $20 or more to Y-Not Radio this week to receive a copy of Feels Like as our thank you gift. Click here for details.