For the new album, Losing, Minnesota native Alicia Bognanno returned to Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, where she once interned and cut her chops as an engineer, to record and mix the Nashville band's follow-up to their anthemic grunge debut. While their second studio album isn't as hard hitting as their first, Losing has darker lyrical themes and the heavy moments have far more weight than the crunchiest choruses on Feels Like.

Losing proves to be more focused and thoughtful than Bully's previous work as Bognanno punches through chorus and verse with twisted emotions and a touch of rage against the backdrop of distorted melodies and heavy riffs. The band once again stands out as having an uncompromising artistic direction which you can hear with the layered vocals and sonic range that Bognanno mixed into the songwriting and engineering of songs like "Running" and "Feel the Same." The production touches that make Losing one of the best rock albums of the year are subtle on the first listen but become the mantelpiece of the album after multiple listens.

Add to the production some intimately personal and confessional lyrics that Bognanno repeatedly exercises throughout the entire experience of what is appropriately titled, Losing. Her writing has the same honesty as a Kim Gordon song or something from J Mascis' solo work. The songs express being vulnerable, disappointed, and angry without alienating you as the listener. Like a journal entry at the end of a long night out, the writing carries a rare authenticity that leaves you feeling as if you lived a moment in Bognanno's life.

Bully's Losing is out now on Sub Pop records.

Resources

Bully - Official Site

Related

• Bully perform in The Current studio (2016)