BULLY • Sugaregg • LP

Subpop

There is an old saying that no one can save us but ourselves. Recognizing and breaking away from familiar patterns is a necessary process to bring about change. Alicia Bognanno from Bully, whose life turned completely upside down during the writing process of "Sugaregg", also stands for this.

"There was change that needed to happen and it happened on this record," explains Bognanno. "Derailing my ego and insecurities allowed me to give these songs the attention they deserved." Bognanno explains that the search for the right treatment for her bipolar disorder radically changed her way of thinking ("Being able to finally navigate that opened the door for me to write about it.") An unexpected foray into the world of film also provided some inspiration for "Sugaregg". Bognanno was asked to write songs for the 2019 film "Her Smell" starring Elisabeth Moss as the frontwoman of the fictional rock band Something She.

"It got me motivated to play music again after the last album", explains Bognanno "I loved reading the script and trying to think, what music would the character write? People asked if I'd play those songs with Bully but the whole point was for them to not be Bully songs. It was nice to get my head out of my own ass for a second and work on a project for someone else." Bognanno is a passionate sound engineer. She took the production of "Sugaregg" out of her hands for the first time and went to the remote Pachyderm Studios in her hometown of Cannon Falls to work with Grammy award-winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, Sleater-kinney, The War On Drugs, Modest Mouse).

Also contributing to "Sugaregg" were tour drummer Wesley Mitchell and bassist Zach Dawes, who is known for his work on recent albums by Sharon Van Etten and Lana Del Rey.