Today, DEBBY FRIDAY is sharing the incredible official video for “WHAT A MAN,” a standout from GOOD LUCK, her full-length debut, available now worldwide on Sub Pop.
In a statement for the video, DEBBY FRIDAY offers this: “The ‘WHAT A MAN’ music video is loosely based on the famous essay, Ways of Seeing, by English art critic John Berger as well as paintings by the Italian Baroque painter, Artemisia Gentileschi (in particular, her iconic work “Judith Slaying Holofernes”).
In 1972, Berger released “Ways of Seeing” as both a television series via the BBC and a book. Both the series and the text function as image-based explorations of the depiction of women in Western art and culture. This work has been massively influential in cultural theory, as it introduced the concept of “the male gaze.”
Gentileschi is distinctive for being one of the only female professional artists of her era. Her paintings draw from myths and Biblical stories and almost always feature women as protagonists and equals to men. Arguably her most famous work, Judith Slaying Holofernes, is thought to be a self-portrait that depicts her as Judith slaying a Holofernes who resembles Agostino Tassi, a man who raped her when she was 17.
Both the essay and the paintings served as frameworks for the video. The same way that Gentileschi painted herself into images of other women is the same way I feel that every woman can see ourselves in much of Gentileschi’s story and her work. To be a woman and an artist in this world is to be, in a way, a shapeshifter. You take on the shape of whatever and whoever is looking at you - whether that be a camera, a phone, a lover, a thief, a killer. Always and all at once, you are a spectacle, a flower, a treasure, a ditch, a bitch, a miracle.
“When I look at Artemisia’s paintings, I feel myself transported and transformed into the emotional field of Judith, of Jael, of Susanna. Her hand is my hand, her sword is my sword, her pain is my pain. I have always identified with women who were wild and brazen - survivors, people who exist and persist despite. I have always looked up to women who were willing to be ‘bad’ in the name of living thoroughly.”
Watch the “WHAT A MAN” official video, directed by Kevan Funk and DEBBY FRIDAY, here.
DEBBY FRIDAY has extended her international headlining tour dates and festival appearances supporting GOOD LUCK. Touring resumes Wednesday, April 12th in Portland, OR at Mississippi Studios and now runs through Sunday, September 3rd in Seattle at Bumbershoot.
New dates for this announcement include shows in the UK (Manchester and Leeds), France (Paris), Portugal (Lisbon), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne), Belgium (Brussels), and Canada (Quebec City, QC).
Of her recent appearances at SXSW, Rolling Stone raved: “Welcome to Planet Debby: If you wandered into the back room at Empire Garage and Control Room at the right moment on Thursday afternoon, you found yourself in the middle of an interstellar rave in full swing. Toronto experimental artist Debby Friday was onstage, performing a thudding electro-rap song with hints of Azealia Banks and Donna Summer… Leaping off the stage into the small crowd, she demanded that they come closer — “I need your energy!” — and kept on chanting, in a long vamp that bent space and time. It was the kind of serendipitous moment that makes SXSW one of the best places in the world to discover a new favorite.”
Wed. Apr. 12 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Thu. Apr. 13 - Seattle, WA - Barboza Fri. Apr. 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon Sat. Apr. 15 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt Wed. Apr. 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right Thu. Apr. 20 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle Tue. May 02 - Bristol, UK - Crofters Rights Wed. May 03 - London, UK - Corsica Studios w/ Grove Fri. May 05 - Krems, AT - Donau Festival Sat. May 06 Brussels, BE - Botanique (La Rotonde) Tue. May 09 - Paris, FR - La Hasard Ludique Wed. May 10 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB Thu. May 11 - Leeds, UK - Headrow House Fri. May 12 - Manchester, UK - The White Hotel Thu. Jun. 08 - Melbourne, AU - Rising (Max Watts) w/ Desire Marea Mon. Jun. 12 - Sydney, AU - Vivid Wavyland Metro Theatre Sat. Jul. 08 - Québec City, QC Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) Sun. Sep. 03 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot
Her upcoming short film GOOD LUCK is a pseudo-autobiographical tale, largely drawn from FRIDAY’s own life and experiences growing up as a zillenial anti-heroine. A surrealist reflection on the tumultuous whirlwind that is the end of adolescence and the emotionality of youth, GOOD LUCK is co-directed by FRIDAY and Nathan De Paz Habib (Chino Amobi’s Eroica, and The Bicycle).
GOOD LUCK is available now from Sub Pop. LP purchases from megamart.subpop.com, select independent stores in North America, the U.K., and E.U., and DEBBY FRIDAY’s live shows will receive the limited Loser edition on metallic silver vinyl (while supplies last).
GOOD LUCK features “SO HARD TO TELL,” “I GOT IT,” “WHAT A MAN,” and “HOT LOVE,” was co-produced by DEBBY FRIDAY and Graham Walsh (METZ, Holy Fuck) at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto, and mastered by Heba Kadry in New York.
GOOD LUCK and its singles have earned DEBBY FRIDAY praise from the likes of New York Times, Pitchfork, Stereogum, NPR Music, The FADER, Billboard, CRACK, Loud & Quiet, Slant, Nylon, FLOOD, Cool Hunting, Brooklyn Vegan, Treble, Dork, DIY, CLASH, Our Culture and more.
What people are saying about DEBBY FRIDAY: “Her first full-length is sweaty and determined, eager to deliver on its teeth-chattering beats with a feverish intensity. The influences are obvious, but the ways that Debby Friday crashes those sounds together are not (Album of the Week).” - STEREOGUM
“GOOD LUCK is an assured and frequently surprising debut that feels like a trip into the lascivious, eclectic wormhole of Friday’s world – and with so much to take in, and so much fun to be had, you won’t want to leave (8/10).” - CRACK
“There’s an extraordinary elasticity across GOOD LUCK’s masterful production that makes repeated listens not just enjoyable but irresistible (8/10, Album of the Week).” - LOUD & QUIET
“[Her] most fully realized set of songs to date. The abrasion and urgency of her early EPs remains, but the 10 songs here lean more heavily toward the pulse of the club—and often a vampiric underground den at that…Friday more openly embraces pop on her debut album, but rarely does so outside the presence of the shadow and mystique her music so often casts (Album of the Week).” - Treble
“DEBBY defies easy categorization, mixing rap, electro, post-punk, industrial, techno and more into a glitchy, bruising and bitcrushed blend that is fiery, magnetic and all her own.” [GOOD LUCK] - Brooklyn Vegan
“…An album that testifies to the liberating potential of making a racket.” [GOOD LUCK] - SLANT
“An explosive, pounding, relentlessly calisthenic dance-floor banger with attitude to spare. A pulsating beat flickers like a strobe light as Friday and Chris Vargas of the duo Pelada, appearing here as Uñas, trade braggadocious bilingual verses. ‘Let mama give you what you need,’ Friday shrieks before calmly assuring, ‘I got it.’” [“I GOT IT”] -New York Times
“In contrast to the pulse-quickening tempos and noisy synths of her past music, her production is deft and graceful, with a skipping beat and cascading backing vocals. ‘Lady Friday/All you do is rеbel,’ Friday chastises herself—tough talk against a fragile, gorgeous sound.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”/ “Best New Track”] - Pitchfork
“One of the young year’s most audacious bangers” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - Billboard
“Intoxicating…” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - Stereogum
“Hyperpop can sometimes come off as abrasive but in the hands of Canadian singer DEBBY FRIDAY it’s soulful, even elegant.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NYLON
“A graceful entrance into yet another territory: lush R&B”[“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NPR Music
“If you’ve ever deep-dived into Debby Friday’s discography, you’ll know she slammed this single into left field, but man is it a hit! This edgy extraordinaire has taken a dip into the darkside via falsetto pop.” ” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - MTV
“Friday strikes a remarkable balance on her forthcoming debut LP, GOOD LUCK: between the boisterous and the tranquil, the erudite and the crass, a packed dancefloor and quiet isolation. Featuring unequivocal bangers like “I Got It,” “Pluto Baby,” and “Heartbreakerrr,” Debby Friday is destined for bigger stages in 2023 (“15 Artists to Watch in 2023”).” - SPIN
DEBBY FRIDAY GOOD LUCK
Tracklisting: 1. GOOD LUCK 2. SO HARD TO TELL 3. I GOT IT (feat. Uñas) 4. HOT LOVE 5. HEARTBREAKERRR 6. WHAT A MAN 7. SAFE 8. LET U DOWN 9. PLUTO BABY 10. WAKE UP
Today, marks the worldwide release of DEBBY FRIDAY’s GOOD LUCK, her supernovic, Sub Pop debut. The album features “SO HARD TO TELL,” “I GOT IT,” “WHAT A MAN,” and “HOT LOVE,” and was co-produced by DEBBY FRIDAY and Graham Walsh (METZ, Holy Fuck) at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto, and mastered by Heba Kadry in New York.
GOOD LUCK and its singles have earned DEBBY FRIDAY praise from the likes of New York Times, Pitchfork, STEREOGUM (“Album of the Week”), NPR Music, The FADER, Billboard, CRACK, Loud & Quiet, Slant, Nylon, FLOOD, Cool Hunting, Brooklyn Vegan, Treble, Dork, DIY, CLASH, Our Culture and more.
DEBBY FRIDAY has also extended her international headlining tour dates, and festival appearances supporting GOOD LUCK. Touring resumes tonight, Friday, March 24th, in Montreal at Phi Center and now runs through Sunday, September 3rd in Seattle at Bumbershoot.
New dates for this announcement include shows in the UK (Manchester and Leeds), France (Paris), Portugal (Lisbon), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne), Belgium (Brussels), and Canada (Quebec City, QC).
Of her recent appearances at SXSW, Rolling Stone raved: “Welcome to Planet Debby: If you wandered into the back room at Empire Garage and Control Room at the right moment on Thursday afternoon, you found yourself in the middle of an interstellar rave in full swing. Toronto experimental artist Debby Friday was onstage, performing a thudding electro-rap song with hints of Azealia Banks and Donna Summer… Leaping off the stage into the small crowd, she demanded that they come closer — “I need your energy!” — and kept on chanting, in a long vamp that bent space and time. It was the kind of serendipitous moment that makes SXSW one of the best places in the world to discover a new favorite.”
Fri, Mar. 24 - Montreal, QC - Phi Centre
Sat. Mar. 25 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
Wed. Apr. 12 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Thu. Apr. 13 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
Fri. Apr. 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
Sat. Apr. 15 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt
Wed. Apr. 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right
Thu. Apr. 20 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Tue. May 02 - Bristol, UK - Crofters Rights
Wed. May 03 - London, UK - Corsica Studios w/ Grove
Fri. May 05 - Krems, AT - Donau Festival
Sat. May 06 Brussels, BE - Botanique (La Rotonde)
Tue. May 09 - Paris, FR - La Hasard Ludique
Wed. May 10 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB
Thu. May 11 - Leeds, UK - Headrow House
Fri. May 12 - Manchester, UK - The White Hotel
Thu. Jun. 08 - Melbourne, AU - Rising (Max Watts) w/ Desire Marea
Mon. Jun. 12 - Sydney, AU - Vivid Wavyland Metro Theatre
Sat. Jul. 08 - Québec City, QC Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ)
Sun. Sep. 03 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot
Her upcoming short film GOOD LUCK is a pseudo-autobiographical tale, largely drawn from FRIDAY’s own life and experiences growing up as a zillenial anti-heroine. A surrealist reflection on the tumultuous whirlwind that is the end of adolescence and the emotionality of youth, GOOD LUCK is co-directed by FRIDAY and Nathan De Paz Habib (Chino Amobi’s Eroica, and The Bicycle).
GOOD LUCK is available now from Sub Pop. LP purchases from megamart.subpop.com, select independent stores in North America, the U.K., and E.U., and DEBBY FRIDAY’s live shows will receive the limited Loser edition on metallic silver vinyl (while supplies last).
What people are saying about DEBBY FRIDAY:
“Her first full-length is sweaty and determined, eager to deliver on its teeth-chattering beats with a feverish intensity. The influences are obvious, but the ways that Debby Friday crashes those sounds together are not.” [Album of the Week] - STEREOGUM
“GOOD LUCK is an assured and frequently surprising debut that feels like a trip into the lascivious, eclectic wormhole of Friday’s world – and with so much to take in, and so much fun to be had, you won’t want to leave (8/10).” - CRACK
“There’s an extraordinary elasticity across GOOD LUCK’s masterful production that makes repeated listens not just enjoyable but irresistible (8/10).” - LOUD & QUIET
“…An album that testifies to the liberating potential of making a racket.” [GOOD LUCK] - SLANT
“An explosive, pounding, relentlessly calisthenic dance-floor banger with attitude to spare. A pulsating beat flickers like a strobe light as Friday and Chris Vargas of the duo Pelada, appearing here as Uñas, trade braggadocious bilingual verses. ‘Let mama give you what you need,’ Friday shrieks before calmly assuring, ‘I got it.’” [“I GOT IT”] - New York Times
“In contrast to the pulse-quickening tempos and noisy synths of her past music, her production is deft and graceful, with a skipping beat and cascading backing vocals. ‘Lady Friday/All you do is rеbel,’ Friday chastises herself—tough talk against a fragile, gorgeous sound.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”/ “Best New Track”] - Pitchfork
“One of the young year’s most audacious bangers” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - Billboard
“Intoxicating…” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - Stereogum
“Hyperpop can sometimes come off as abrasive but in the hands of Canadian singer DEBBY FRIDAY it’s soulful, even elegant.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NYLON
“A graceful entrance into yet another territory: lush R&B”[“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NPR Music
“If you’ve ever deep-dived into Debby Friday’s discography, you’ll know she slammed this single into left field, but man is it a hit! This edgy extraordinaire has taken a dip into the darkside via falsetto pop.” ” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - MTV
“Friday strikes a remarkable balance on her forthcoming debut LP, GOOD LUCK: between the boisterous and the tranquil, the erudite and the crass, a packed dancefloor and quiet isolation. Featuring unequivocal bangers like “I Got It,” “Pluto Baby,” and “Heartbreakerrr,” Debby Friday is destined for bigger stages in 2023 (“15 Artists to Watch in 2023”).” - SPIN
Lael Neale shares a new official video for “Faster Than The Medicine” from her forthcoming album Star Eaters Delight, available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs on April 21st, 2023 worldwide from Sub Pop.
“Faster Than The Medicine” gallops across a misty imagined English countryside, frenetically propelled by the drum machine built into Neale’s signature Omnichord. The video stars and is directed by Neale, who says, “It’s inspired by filmmaker Jonas Mekas; a collage of moments from my search for the mystical in the mundane.”
Lael Neale has extended her international tour schedule for 2023 in support of Star Eaters Delight, which begins Tuesday, April 11th in San Francisco, CA at The Chapel and now runs through Saturday, June 3rd in Düdingen, Switzerland, with an appearance at the Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival. A current list of dates is below, and tickets for these shows are on sale now.
US 2023 Tue. Apr. 11 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel Thu. Apr. 13 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet’s Sat. Apr. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records Roadhouse Mon. Apr. 24 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space Wed. Apr. 26 - Austin, TX - Chess Club Sat. Apr. 29 - Nashville, TN - drkmttr Wed. May 03 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong Fri. May 05 - New York, NY - Public Records Sat. May 06 - Northampton, MA - Parlor Room Sun. May 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Dolphin
UK/EU 2023 Sun. May 14 - Leeds, UK - In Colour Festival Mon. May 15 - Manchester, UK - The Castle Hotel Tue. May 16 - London, UK - The Lexington Wed. May 17- Paris, FR - La Boule Noire Thu. May 18 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix Fri. May 19 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Witloof Bar) Sat. May 20 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (London Calling Fest) Mon. May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain Tue. May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus Wed. May 24 - Copenhagen, DK - Huset Thu. May 25 - Oslo, NO - Krosset Fri. May 26 - Stockholm, SE - Nomad Sat. May 27 - Gothenburg, SE - Oceanen Thu. Jun. 01 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB Sat. Jun. 03 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival
Released last month, “In Verona,” the eight-minute, 23-second 2nd single from Star Eaters Delight saw praise from the likes of Under the Radar, who named it their “Song of the Week,” and Brooklyn Vegan, who called it “a compelling track which finds Lael invoking Romeo & Juliet over a repeating piano pattern and swells of synths.” Meanwhile, Stereogum placed the song at no. 2 on its “5 Best Songs of the Week,” offered this, “This is really good. Lael Neale, her voice flat and deadpan, chants about beauty word in deed, about starborn purity, about angels stapling prayers to phone poles. Underneath her voice, pianos pound and synths drone, and horns howl. It sounds deranged and ritualistic, and hypnotic. On paper, “In Verona” is the most pretentious thing in the world. In practice, it’s a whirlwind, lifting you up and spinning you all around. The Velvet Underground were pretentious on paper, too, and nobody’s fronting on ‘Venus In Furs.’ Sometimes, you need to submit. Sometimes, it’s the only thing you can do.”
Star Eaters Delight was written by Neale, with arrangements and production by Guy Blakeslee. The recordings were made on cassette in Virginia and mastered by Chris Coady in Los Angeles.
The album is available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America, the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser edition on gold vinyl.
Tracklisting: 1. I Am The River 2. If I Had No Wings 3. Faster Than The Medicine 4. In Verona 5. Must Be Tears 6. No Holds Barred 7. Return To Me Now 8. Lead Me Blind
On Friday, May 19th, Hannah Jadagu (pron. juh-dah-goo) will release Aperture, her first full-length effort on CD/LP/CS/DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop.
On Aperture, Jadagu says, “There’s rock Hannah, there’s hip-hop Hannah, and so on. I didn’t want any of the songs to sound too alike.” Emblematic of this ethos is the new single “Warning Sign,” which starts out as an acoustic R&B slowburner before a muscular electric guitar enters the mix, and the song morphs into something akin to psychedelic. Jadagu continues, “‘Warning Sign’ was practically the last song Max (co-producer) and I recorded for the album. It almost was just a short interlude, but I was inspired by a melody that my sister sang on the original demo, which led Max and I to be able to piece together the rest of the sounds in the studio.” Watch and listen via the new lyric video here.
Last week, Jadagu appeared at SXSW, and has scheduled a few early shows to support Aperture, including Saturday, March 25th in Boise, Idaho at Treefort Festival, and Saturday, August 26th, in Salt Lake City, Utah at Mind the Gap Festival. A New York City release show and a headlining tour for 2023 will be announced soon.
In February, Jadagu released “What You Did,” the rousing lead single from Aperture, which leverages crushing accusations against the song’s unnamed subject. Screaming static and a crunchy guitar part softens under Jadagu’s calm delivery. The song earned praise for Jadagu from the likes of The New York Times, who says, “[“What You Did”] is suffused with a dreamy atmosphere, but her lyrics pierce right through the haze: “I know what you did,” she sings, repeatedly, to the object of her disappointment…[it] showcases Jadagu’s easy aptitude with lilting melodies and her love of deliciously crunchy texture.” Meanwhile, Stereogum offered this, “[“What You Did”] is crunchy and satisfying, a blast of fuzz.”
Jadagu’s Aperture features 12 tracks, including “Lose,” “Admit It,” “Say it Now,” and the aforementioned “What You Did” and “Warning Sign,” was co-produced by Jadagu and Max Robert Baby at Greasy Studios Paris, mixed by Marcus Linon, and mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Mastering. Aperture follows the release of Jadagu’s acclaimed What Is Going On? digital-only EP, and stand-alone single “All My Time Is Wasted,” also available on Sub Pop.
Tracklisting: 1. Explanation 2. Say It Now 3. Six Months 4. What You Did 5. Lose 6. Admit It 7. Dreaming 8. Shut Down 9. Warning Sign 10. Scratch The Surface 11. Letter To Myself 12. Your Thoughts Are Ur Biggest Obstacle
On Friday, June 2nd, Bully (aka Alicia Bognanno), will release Lucky For You, her kaleidoscopic new full-length on CD/LP/CS/DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop. The 10-track album combines punk grit, crunchy shoegaze bliss, and an explosive Britpop bop, all mixed in with the classic anthems Bully is known for.
Lucky For You was recorded in 2022 at MMK Studios and Alicia’s House in Nashville, with help from producer JT Daly and mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound.
This pulsating lead banger, “Days Move Slow,” was written after the passing of her beloved dog and best friend, Mezzi. Bognanno offers this, “as someone who has spent the majority of my life feeling agonizingly misunderstood, there is no greater gift than experiencing true unconditional love and acceptance. I waited my whole life for the bond and irreplaceable companionship I had with Mezzi. She was my best friend and my only constant through some of the most pivotal moments and phases of my life. I was a stranger to the level of love I now know exists because of Mezzi. Love you forever; I’m lucky for you.”
The “Days Move Slow” official video was directed by Alex Ross Perry, who shares about this collaboration, “This is my third time collaborating with Alicia, but my first time collaborating with Bully. Having written the original songs for my film Her Smell and performed at the Pavement Museum Tribute Concert “scene” for my forthcoming film on them, I can’t believe I finally got to make a Bully video. Right away, it seemed striking to make a piece as stark and measured as possible, not to make a video that replicates the song’s sonic energy but to visualize the emotional weight and feelings of loss and grief depicted in the lyrics. Alicia doesn’t seem to have been filmed in 16mm black and white before, so it was a no-brainer to give that a try.” You can watch this brilliant new video HERE.
Bully is extending her North American tour dates for 2023 in support of Lucky For You with new headlining shows. Dates kick-off June 4th in Charlottesville, VA, with headline stops at NYC’s Racket, Chicago’s Thalia Hall, and a hometown show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets for these shows are on sale on Friday, March 24th, at 10:00 AM (local).
These new shows will follow Bully’s previously announced headlining UK/EU tour (May 20th-28th) and her 13-date main support for the Pixies and Franz Ferdinand (June 8th-25th). See below for a current list of Bully live shows.
Sat. Apr. 15 - North Charleston, SC - High Water Festival Sat. May 20 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Paradiso Mon. May 22 - Manchester, UK - Yes (Pink Room) Tue. May 23 - Bristol, UK - THEKLA Thu. May 25- Birmingham, UK - Dead Wax Fri. May 26 - London, UK - Moth Club Sat. May 27- Leeds, UK - Live At Leeds In The Park Sat. Jun. 03 - Lexington, KY - Railbird Festival Sun. Jun. 04 - Charlottesville, VA - The Southern Tue. Jun. 06 - New York, NY - Racket Thu. Jun. 08 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway * Fri. Jun. 09 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia * Sat. Jun. 10 - Washington, DC - The Anthem * Mon. Jun. 12 - Columbus, OH - KEMBA Live! * Tue. Jun. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE * Wed. Jun. 14 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center * Fri. Jun. 16 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater * Sat. Jun. 17 - Asheville, NC - Rabbit Rabbit * Tue. Jun. 20 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy * Wed. Jun. 21 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore * Fri. Jun. 23 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center * Sat. Jun. 24 - Dallas, TX - Southside Ballroom * Sun. Jun. 25 - Austin, TX - Moody Amphitheater * Thu. Aug. 10 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall Fri. Aug. 11 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway Sat. Aug. 12 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck Mon. Aug. 14 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre Tue. Aug. 15 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge Wed. Aug. 16 - Boise, ID - TBD Fri. Aug. 18 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Sat. Aug. 19 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret Sun. Aug. 20th - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre Tue. Aug. 22 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent Wed. Aug. 23 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom Thu. Aug. 24 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction Fri. Aug. 25 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar Sat. Aug. 26 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress Mon. Aug. 28 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Tue. Aug. 29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Beer City Music Hall Thu. Aug. 31 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl Thu. Sep. 14 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel Fri. Sep. 15 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave Sat. Sep. 16 - Milwaukee, WI - X-Ray Arcade Sun. Sep. 17 - Detroit, MI - Loving Touch Tue. Sep. 19 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace Wed. Sep. 20 - Albany, NY - Lark Hall Thu. Sep. 21 - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom Fri. Sep. 22 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom Sat. Sep. 23 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Sun. Sep. 24 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
* w/ Pixies and Franz Ferdinand
Lucky For You’s announcement was preceded by the release of the album track “Lose You,” Bully’s, which features guest vocal harmonies from Sophia Allison, aka Soccer Mommy. The song garnered support from Pitchfork, NME, DIY, The Fader, The Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar, and RollingStone. Stereogum says of the track, “It meets in the midpoint between the two bands’ aesthetics, trading out Bully’s usual rapid-speed intensity for an ambling ’90s alt-rock vibes while holding onto the raw power. It might be the most purely catchy Bully song to date.”
More about Bully: Lucky For You is Bully’s most close-to-the-bone album yet. It’s an album that’s searing and unmistakably marked by its creator’s experiences, while still retaining the massive sound that Alicia Bognanno has become known for over the last decade. Her fourth album draws from personal pain and the universal struggle that is existing, learning, and moving on—and it’s all soundtracked by Bognanno’s rock-solid melodic sensibilities and a widescreen sound that’s impossible to pin down when it comes to the textures explored. These ten songs are simply the most irresistible Bognanno’s put to tape yet, making Lucky For You her greatest triumph to date in a career already packed with them.
Work on Lucky For You began last year when Bognanno brought some in-progress demos to producer J.T. Daly in his Nashville studio to see if they could strike creative kismet. “Authenticity is always on my mind, without even knowing it,” she explains while discussing their recording process together. “If I’m doing something that doesn’t feel natural or right, I’m quick to shut it down. So it was great to work with J.T. because I could tell he was a genuine fan who wanted to emphasize what he thinks is good about my writing instead of changing it. I could tell how much he cared about the project, and it meant a lot to me.” The album came together over the course of seven months, the longest gestation process for a Bully record to date: “I was freaking out about it at first because taking my time was so new for me. But a few months in, I realized how crucial that time ended up being. I got songs out of it that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
“With every record, I feel more and more secure in terms of doing what I want,” Bognanno continues. “For this one, I wanted to be as creative as possible with these songs.” She got her wish: A kaleidoscopic rock record spanning punk’s grit, the crunchy bliss of shoegaze, explosive Britpop, and the type of classic anthems Bully has been known for, Lucky For You’s thematic focus also zooms in on grief and loss. The record is largely inspired by Bognanno’s dog Mezzi passing away, at a time when her life already felt as if in metamorphosis.
“Mezzi was my best friend,” she explains. “She made me feel safe and empowered, she showed me that I was worth loving and never judged me or viewed me as a let down. I always felt accepted, understood and so much less alone. Mezzi was living, breathing proof that I was worthy of being loved.” And the oceanic first single “Days Move Slow” was written shortly after Mezzi’s passing, reflecting the persistence of Bognanno’s incisive wit even while facing adversity. “There was nothing else I could do except sit down and write.”
“Hard to Love” stomps and lurches with awesome abandon, resembling one of the most sonically left-field tunes Bognanno’s put to tape as Bully; and then there’s the passionate opening track “All I Do,” which kicks in the door Bully-style with huge riffs atop her lyrical reflections on three years of sobriety. “I’ve been living in this house for seven years,” she says while discussing her current Nashville abode. “Once I stopped drinking, I felt like I was still haunted by mistakes and things that had happened when I was drinking, and it’s still taking me a long time to forget about that while existing in this house. How do I shed the skin from a path I’ve moved on from?”
In that vein, Lucky For You is a document of perseverance in the face of the big and the small stuff. “I’m so overly emotional and sensitive, it’s a blessing and a curse,” she says with a laugh, but there’s no downside to her expressions of vulnerability on this record; it’s the latest bit of evidence that nothing can hold Bognanno back.
Tracklisting: 1. All I Do 2. Days Move Slow 3. A Wonderful Life 4. Hard to Love 5. Change Your Mind 6. How Will I Know 7. A Love Profound 8. Lose You 9. Ms. America 10. All This Noise