Bully burst onto the scene in 2015 with their critically acclaimed album Feels Like. Today the band announces their Sub Pop debut Losing, and share lead track “Feel The Same.”
Fronted by Alicia Bognanno, Bully was born in 2013. Bognanno was an engineer who cut her teeth working at Electrical Audio in Chicago. Together with guitarist Clayton Parker and Reece Lazarus on bass, they made a debut album received unanimous critical acclaim and Bognanno became a point of intrigue. A rock icon in the making, with her signature scream, messy blonde hair hanging in her face, with formidable skills as both a player and a engineer who prefers recording to tape. “The coarse Cobain head-scream of Bully singer, songwriter and guitarist Alicia Bognanno is its own resuscitating jolt of protest,” said Pitchfork. “She spends much of Feels Like tearing the house down with her howl.” The success propelled the band into an exhaustive touring cycle with spots on huge festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapallooza, Pitchfork Music Festival and ACL and a late night appearance on Conan.
While Feels Like tumbled headlong into the precarious nature of Bognanno’s young adult life, Losing is a document of the complexity of growth: navigating breakups with sensitivity, learning not to run away from your troubles but to face them no matter how messy they may be. The debut single, “Feel The Same’ is the album opener. Like an electric-shock Bognanno is back in your face tackling the angst of a young person feeling their way through the world. The song describes the prison of a manic mind-set, being trapped in your own head. On “Seeing It” she addresses the issue of personal safety and navigating the world as a woman. On “Running” she focuses on personal relationships and the avoidance of facing the demise of a personal relationship.
Losing is an internal, carefully focused record, a universalized diary and an exorcism-not of any one specific demon, but the host of them that characterize contemporary anxieties. Bully are growing up, sure, but their fire is in no way diminishing.
Losing is available for pre-order now from Sub Pop Records and Bully’s webstore. LP pre-orders of the album from Sub Pop and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser Edition on clear vinyl with black swirls (while supplies last).
Losing was engineered and mixed by lead-singer Alicia Bognanno in Chicago at Electrical Audio.
Losing
Track Listing:
1. Feel the Same
2. Kills to Be Resistant
3. Running
4. Seeing It
5. Guess There
6. Blame
7. Focused
8. Not the Way
9. Spiral
10. Either Way
11. You Could Be Wrong
12. Hate and Control
More About Bully and Losing: by Patty Schemel
In rock - as in life - change is unavoidable, often painful, but ultimately necessary, and Alicia Bognanno and her band Bully have dealt with a lot of it since their debut record
Feels Like hit in 2015. Now with a new label and another couple years worth of life experience, the 12 new songs on Losing feel like perfect anthems for a generation still learning to harness the power of resistance. With a vocal style that is as pretty as it is powerful, and emotionally resonant lyrics, Alicia channels the loss of innocence and reveals a raw honesty in songs that are distinctly hers.
I love Bully the way I love Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr and the Breeders. Their sound takes me back to the stripped down and thoughtfully engineered songs that haunt me long after they’re gone and never get old. Another good reason to be with Sub Pop, who have always been associated with music that is built to last.
I feel like all my best work has been born of heartbreak and upheaval; maybe most musicians feel that way. “The title of the record -Losing - kind of says it all,” Alicia says. “After being on the road so long and coming back to Nashville we all had a lot of changes going on in our personal lives that we were trying to deal with / adjust to and that was really the motivation for this one.”
“Feel the Same” is about being stuck in the claustrophobia of a manic state of mind. It’s Alicia’s favorite song to scream. “Seeing It,” she says, is about the unique anxiety and vigilance about personal safety that comes with being a woman: “Such a blurring place to be / stuck in your own body.” Lately Alicia has been lending her voice as an advocate for gun control, women’s rights and speaking out in support of animal rights. In some ways my generation were in a bubble in the 90s; I never gave any thought to what Bill Clinton was up to, for instance - but in 2017, Losing sounds like a personal and necessary call to arms to me; we need rock n roll now more than ever.
[Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen]
Bully Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Bully will head out on a North American Tour beginning November 2nd. Highlights include Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 13th, Thalia Hall in Chicago in two nights at the Mercy Lounge in the band’s hometown of Nashville.
11/02/17- St Louis MO - Off Broadway
11/03/17 - Iowa City IA - The Mill
11/04/17 - Minneapolis MN - Fine Line Music Cafe
11/06/17 - Madison WI - High Noon Saloon
11/07/17 - Chicago IL - Thalia Hall
11/08/17 - Detroit MI - Marble Bar
11/09/17 - Toronto ON - Lee’s Palace
11/10/17 - Montreal QC - Bar le Ritz
11/12/17 - Boston MA - Great Scott
11/13/17 - Brooklyn NY - Music Hall of WIlliamsburg
11/14/17 - Philadelphia PA - First Unitarian Church
FINALLY. Marika Hackman’s co-headlining North American tour with The Big Moon (in support of Marika’s Sub Pop debut I’m Not Your Man) begins this weekend.
Stereogum calls I’m Not Your Man “A collection of unabashedly real songs…Hackman’s greatest weapon is her words, and she uses her dark wit to lure you in while conveying strong messages about her life and society.” Meanwhile, The Guardian, offers this, “Her pearlescent lightness is still there in her sweetly sung cut-glass vocals, but in place of acoustic twangs there are heavy lidded licks and an overall louche noir. Grunge and shoegaze set the tone this time: the diaphanous guitar chimes enveloping like a cape.” And Pitchfork says of I’m Not Your Man, “The London singer’s sophomore album is a bracing, darkly funny blend of folk and Britpop. Her tactile lyrics keep the songs melodically strong and full of surprises…the proper arrival of a bold, young British force.”
The tour runs Saturday, July 29th at Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles through Wednesday, August 16th in Brooklyn at Baby’s All Right. The Big Moon, will act as her backing band for this trek (and are the studio musicians with whom she recorded I’m Not Your Man). The 14-city tour will also visit Chicago, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Denver, Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle, and more. The Big Moon are currently supporting Love in the 4th Dimension, out now on Columbia Records.
Jul. 29 - Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg* Jul. 31 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club* Aug. 02 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios* Aug. 03 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret* Aug. 04 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern* Aug. 06 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court* Aug. 07 Denver, CO - Lost Lake* Aug. 09 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry* Aug. 10 - Milwaukee, WI - Back Room at Collectivo* Aug. 11 - Chicago, IL - Schubas* Aug. 13 - Toronto, ON - The Drake* Aug. 14 - Montreal, QC - Casa del Popolo* Aug. 15 - Boston, MA - Great Scott* Aug. 16 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right* *w/ The Big Moon
I’m Not Your Man is out now on CD / LP / DL / CS in North & South America from Sub Pop andthe rest of the world via AMF Records. Read more about it here.
What “The People” are saying about I’m Not Your Man:
Witty, sexy, confident, and charged with live energy, I’m Not Your Man is the sound of Marika Hackman making the album she always needed to make.” [5/5 stars] - DIY
“I’m Not Your Man is, at times, a Marika Hackman that is almost unrecognisable and it’s exciting. She’s more open and frank, discarding the metaphors in favor of the straight-talking lyrics, accompanied by a more feral and energetic sound…This is the Marika Hackman she wanted us all to see and it’s one you should readily welcome with open arms.”“ [8.5/10, Album of the Week] - The Line of Best Fit
“I’m Not Your Man…is not only a welcomed departure but also one that showcases Hackman’s ability to use a bevy of soundscapes. From road trip sing-a-long, “Time’s Been Reckless,” to the medieval Vashti Bunyan-esque “Apple Tree,” to the Spaghetti Western goth rock of “AM,” it’s evident that Marika pulls out all the stops on her sophomore effort, clawing her way out of a Brit-folk pigeonhole.” - Nylon
“It’s a statement that this album roundly contradicts, being warm-hearted and emotionally liberated throughout.” - Loud and Quiet
“Her follow-up reveals a funnier side of Hackman’s personality, one where she seems more at ease with talking about her sexuality. The album’s highlight, a Built to Spill–adjacent grunge song called “Boyfriend,” sees Hackman confronting men who sexualize queer relationships…I’m Not Your Man shines in its playful pronoun switching, stories of explicit sex, and the taut tightrope it straddles between what we might consider feminine sounds (Hackman’s voice is soft and airy) and masculine sounds (much of the record is inspired by her teenage years listening to Nirvana).” - The Cut
“More than anything ‘I’m Not Your Man’ is the sound of Marika Hackman making a statement. A statement that pushes her to the forefront with an album that dazzles and welcomes anyone in with open arms, and lays out a path for the artist and role she’s destined to become.” - Dork
“I’m Not Your Man proves an emotional and sonic progression for Hackman, a record that at its best is affecting and fun. It shows her to be an artist growing in her stride, increasing her capacity to be more artful and at once more true.” [4/5 stars] - The Skinny
“I’m Not Your Man is your ticket into Marika Hackman’s life and mind – uncensored, honest, sarcastic, emotional, gripping, and beautiful…Every minute of I’m Not Your Man feels like a breath of fresh air, a sigh of relief, a joyous laugh.” - Atwood Magazine
“Marika Hackman’s latest evolution is a triumph that finds equilibrium amid both wit and heart.” [4/5 stars] - All Music
“I’m Not Your Man proves an emotional and sonic progression for Hackman, a record that at its best is affecting and fun. It shows her to be an artist growing in her stride, increasing her capacity to be more artful and at once more true.” - The Skinny
The Afghan Whigs have a new song streaming out over the airwaves today: “You Want Love” - recorded in honor of the late Dave Rosser - is now available as a free download at: www.theafghanwhigs.com. The song is available in all your favorite digital services as well.
Originally released by Pleasure Club in 2004 on their second and final album, the Afghan Whigs’ version of the song features original singer and writer James Hall. “Pleasure Club was a legendary New Orleans band and Dave Rosser and I had spoken for years about performing this song,” Greg Dulli commented. “In light of his passing we decided to record it in his honor.” The track has been a staple of The Afghan Whigs’ live set in Europe during the In Spades tour.
The Afghan Whigs return to Europe next week for a brief second leg of their tour which includes performances at Way Out West Festival, Haldern Pop Festival, Flow Festival and Pukkelpop. The band will begin their North American tour on September 6 in Orlando, FL. The tour includes three Canadian shows (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver) and the band will be playing several markets they haven’t visited in years (Richmond, Birmingham, Kansas City, Houston). The full list of dates can be found below.
In Spades, the group’s spellbinding new album, is available on CD / 180 gram-LP / CS / DL worldwide from Sub Pop. Led by the singles “Demon In Profile,” “Oriole,” and “Arabian Heights” along with standouts “Copernicus,” and “Toy Automatic,” it is the follow-up to the band’s internationally acclaimed Do to the Beast. In Spades was recorded in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Memphis and Joshua Tree and written and produced by Greg Dulli.
The Afghan Whigs have released two videos from the album so far: ”Demon In Profile,” directed by longtime collaborator Phil Harder, and ”Oriole,” helmed by erotic art director Amy Nicole Hood.
Fortunately for our eyes (and ears), Iron & Wine and returning director J. Austin Wilson (“Call It Dreaming”) made this delightful video for “Thomas County Law” from Beast Epic, his forthcoming album due out August 25th.
The winsome and sly visual stars Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam as a preacher preparing for a funeral service.
NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson had this to say of the video and the forthcoming album: “Iron & Wine will release Beast Epic, a new album that scales back the densely arranged grandeur of recent records like Ghost On Ghost and Kiss Each Other Clean. Though nowhere near as harrowingly spare as the bedroom recordings on which Beam first made his name, Beast Epic still feels like a return to roots; to simple, unadorned, plainspoken warmth....Last month, Iron & Wine released the album’s first single, “Call It Dreaming.” Now comes a follow-up: “Thomas County Law,” a gently rendered mid-tempo ballad whose accompanying video finds Beam decorating a church and giving a eulogy for what turns out to be his own (unattended) funeral (see video premiere July 26th).”
Beast Epic is now available for preorder from Sub Pop here, Iron & Wine’s official webstore, and select independent retailers … in the following formats:
A Deluxe 2xLP version on red & blue vinyl with alternate artwork, two bonus tracks from the Beast Epic recording sessions along with three home recorded demos and an etching on side D.
Iron & Wine has scheduled an extensive U.S. tour with a full band in support of Beast Epic beginning with a two night stand in Chicago on October 12th and 13th (both at Thalia Hall), and ends with a two night stand in New York in November 13th (at Town Hall) and 14th (at Brooklyn Steel). The fall tour is preceded by a week long jaunt through the Southeastern U.S., which spans August 26th through August 30th. For up to date information on tickets, please visit ironandwine.com/tours.
Summer 2017 Aug. 26 - Fayetteville, AR - Roots Festival - SOLD OUT Aug. 27 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note % Aug. 28 - Chattanooga, TN - Tivoli Theatre % Aug. 29 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn % - SOLD OUT Aug. 30 - Louisville, KY - WFPK on the Waterfront Aug. 31 - Nashville, TN - Lightning 100’s Live On the Green
Fall 2017 Oct. 12 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall* Oct. 13 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall # - SOLD OUT Oct. 14 - St Paul,MN - Palace Theatre # Oct. 15 - Lincoln, NE - Rococo Theatre # Oct. 17 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater # Oct. 18 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theater Oct. 19 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theater # Oct. 20 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater - SOLD OUT Oct. 21 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre Oct. 26 - Los Angeles, CA - The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian* Oct. 27 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet’s* - SOLD OUT Oct. 28 - San Diego, CA - Balboa # Oct. 29 - Phoenix, AZ - Van Buren # Oct. 30 - Albuquerque, NM - El Rey # Nov. 01 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler # - SOLD OUT Nov. 02 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theater # Nov. 03 - Houston, TX - The Heights # - SOLD OUT Nov. 04 - New Orleans, LA - Joy Theater # Nov. 06 - Ft Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room# Nov. 07 - Orlando, FL - The Beacham # Nov. 09 - Washington DC - Lincoln Theatre # Nov. 10 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall # Nov. 11 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center # - SOLD OUT Nov. 12 - Northampton, MA - Calvin Theatre # Nov. 13 - New York, NY - Town Hall # Nov. 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel*
Rejoice! Sub Pop is (finally) repressing three beloved albums from Pacific Northwest icon Mark Lanegan (also known for his work with Screaming Trees, Gutter Twins, Mad Season, Queens of the Stone Age, Isobel Campbell, and more). Scraps at Midnight, I’ll Take Care of You, and Field Songs will be available on vinyl worldwide on August 25h, and the albums are now available for pre-order from Sub Pop Mega Mart. Each album is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and is housed in a gatefold jacket reproducing the art for its original release.
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New to Mark Lanegan? Might we suggest this Beginner’s Guide playlist as an introduction?
As a solo artist, Mark Lanegan built a devoted following, slowly releasing records that highlighted his love for singer/songwriters, and American folk and blues. His love for the rich history of American contemporary music was showcased throughout these three remarkable efforts: Scraps at Midnight (1998), I’ll Take Care of You(1999) and Field Songs (2001). And let’s not forget that voice! Trying to describe the power of Mark’s voice is not an easy task, but to paraphrase Fred Neil, he sure can sing the shit out of a song.
Mark Lanegan also collaborated regularly with Mike Johnson (Dinosaur Jr.), a multi-instrumentalist known for his understated yet incredible guitar work, who co-wrote, arranged and co-produced some of the early records and various songs from the discography.
About the Mark Lanegan Represses:
Scraps at Midnight (SP419 / July 21, 1998):
Scraps at Midnight is the third solo album by Lanegan, which he co-produced with longtime collaborator Johnson. Scraps at Midnight could arguably be considered the final installment of a trilogy of albums (preceded by The Winding Sheet and Whiskey for the Holy Ghost) which feature the songwriter’s interpretation of American roots music set to troubling lyrics that explore themes of loss, sin and redemption. LP comes in a gatefold jacket and is 180 gram vinyl.
Tracklist: 1. “Hospital Roll Call” / 2. “Hotel” / 3. “Stay” / 4. “Bell Black Ocean” / 5. “Last One in the World” / 6. “Praying Ground“ / 7. “Wheels” / 8. “Waiting on a Train” / 9. “Day and Night” / 10. “Because of This”
I’ll Take Care of You (SP445 / September 21, 1999):
I’ll Take Care of You, Lanegan’s fourth solo effort, consists entirely of cover songs with interpretation of songs from a wide variety of songwriters, including Tim Rose, Tim Hardin, Booker T. Jones, and Buck Owens. Prior to this LP version, I’ll Take Care of You was only available on vinyl via a long-out-of-print European run, and in the One Way Street box set. LP comes in a gatefold jacket and is 180 gram vinyl.
On Lanegan’s fifth and final solo album for Sub Pop, Field Songs, he seems to have taken the best elements from his previous work to create one of the most fulfilled, and fulfilling, albums of his career; Field Songs also includes “Kimiko’s Dream House,” which Mark co-wrote with Jeffrey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club. This LP version is the first standalone vinyl edition of Field Songs (it was previously only available in the 2015 box set entitled One Way Street). LP comes in a gatefold jacket and is 180 gram vinyl.
