Album Review: Bully - Losing

Losing is the second album from Nashville alternative rock band, Bully and opener Feels The Same establishes the tone of the album well: angsty in content and grungy in delivery.

Lead singer Alicia Bognanno has a unique and recognisable voice; it's powerful, growly and able to convey a huge range of emotions across the album. In addition to providing vocals, Bognanno, who started out as an audio engineer, also contributed to the production of this album, engineering and mixing it.

Guitarist Clayton Parker and bassist Reece Lazarus provide a driving, heavy bed that supports the catchy melodies and personal, relatable lyrics about relationships, break-ups and, to a certain extent, growing up and maturing.

The knack Bully have for seamless, mid-song gear changes is admirable. Focused for instance smoothly elevates from verses with a picked guitar melody and soft vocals, layered with harmonies leading into a full chorus of crashing drums, a wall of distorted guitars and screeching, screamed vocals.

Closing track Hate And Control is a highlight, although it's fairly different in content to the rest of the album. The track has definite political undertones — with references to empathy, care, power and hate — and contains some of the album's most empowering lyrics.

Losing is a brilliantly produced rock album that will make you feel something.