"when I was six" (Bully - Feels Like)

Bully
Feels Like

why you'll love it: simple, effective, punk/grunge

why you'll hate it: nothing new

If 90's grunge and power-pop is the music this generation will make when they feel "retro", then I think we've discovered millennials' greatest gift to pop culture.

I'm done.  That's all you need.  This review is over.

That's how well Bully emulates that 90's rock sound.  The fuzz, the emotion (and apathy), the pop sensibilities. Heck, they even have the music video style down.  The only thing this album is lacking is Matt Pinfield introducing it.  Alicia Bognanno's voice has great range, and as the introducing song proves, she's not afraid to take it to dangerous places.  From yelling, to song-speaking, to crooning.

Maybe the 90's never really went away thanks to bands like Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill, and Giant Drag.  Although, Bully has that moment in time trapped better than any of those bands.  They really do sound like something out of that MTV's Buzz Bin compilation CD (if you're in your 30s, you know you had this as a kid, admit it!).  This is also a negative mark, because Feels Like is just as disposable as those "Buzz Bin" singles from the 90s.  They clearly don't have the kind of creative interest (on this album) to make something a bit more meaningful, and put them in the same ballpark as those legends of 90s alt-rock.

Thankfully, the album moves fast (under 30 mins), and leaves behind a few good highlights.  I'm always happy listening to this album, but never impressed.  But hey, they're a young band, with plenty of time to experiment.  For now, a short and sweet statement of "this is where we come from" is just fine.  You can worry about where they're going another day.