Lucky for You is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Bully released in 2023 by Sub Pop. The album was preceded by the single "Days Move Slow"[1] and has received positive reviews from critics.
Lucky for You | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 2, 2023 | |||
Length | 31:33 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label | Sub Pop | |||
Producer | JT Daly | |||
Bully chronology | ||||
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Reception
editLucky for You received positive reviews from critics noted at review aggregator Metacritic. It has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on nine reviews.[2] Emma Swann of DIY Magazine gave this release 5 out of 5 stars, calling it "a near-perfect album if there ever was one".[3] In Exclaim!, Kate Shepherd gave Lucky for You an 8 out of 10, calling it lyrically "a study in contrasts" and "a confident, compelling record that reveals—and revels in—the softness behind the feedback and fuzz that continue to make Bully a force to be reckoned with".[4] The Line of Best Fit's Steven Loftin rated this release a 9 out of 10, calling it "undoubtedly Bully's best album yet".[5] Both Paste and Stereogum named this album of the week: the former had a review from Eric Bennett scored 8.6, calling it "an open-hearted, anthemic career best"[6] and in the latter, James Rettig calls this release "the kind of flex that's hard to pull off for a project a decade into its existence".[7] In a June round-up of the best albums of 2023, the publication placed this at sixth, with Rachel Brodsky writing that it "takes new strides—the tone is darker, muddier, and raspier—but it's still 100 percent Bully, which means distortion-heavy hooks and total candor".[8] On June 19, Paste reviewed the best albums of the year so far, ranking this at thirteenth for being "another strong collection of anthemic post-grunge that doubles as Bully's poppiest record so far".[9] Peyton Thomas of Pitchfork gave a more mixed review, scoring the album a 6.6 out of 10, critiquing JT Daly's production and writing that "it's heart-wrenching to imagine how much better these songs would be, how much more worthy of showcasing [frontwoman Alicia] Bognanno's maturation as an artist, had she presided solely over production", but still praising the "lyrical introspection and emotional complexity" in the music.[10]
In June 2023, Alternative Press published an unranked list of the top 25 albums of the year to date and included this release, calling it "diaristic and open without being depressing or falling into any indie tropes".[11] Editors of Vogue included this in an unranked list of the 22 best albums of the year, published on October 23, 2023, with critic Corey Seymour calling this album "great fun" that compares to riot grrrl albums from the 1990s and Olivia Rodrigo.[12]
Outlet | Listing | Rank |
---|---|---|
Bandcamp[13] | The Best Albums of 2023 | — |
Paste[14] | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 11 |
Paste[15] | The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2023 | — |
PopMatters[16] | The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2023 | 17 |
Rolling Stone[17] | The 100 Best Albums of 2023 | 89 |
Rolling Stone[18] | The 40 Best Indie-Rock Albums of 2023 | — |
Stereogum[19] | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 13 |
The Ringer[20] | The 27 Best Albums of 2023 | 1 |
Under the Radar[21] | Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2023 | 17 |
World Cafe[22] | The John Morrison's Favorite Albums of 2023 | — |
Track listing
edit- "All I Do" – 3:41
- "Days Move Slow" – 2:40
- "A Wonderful Life" – 3:03
- "Hard to Love" – 2:33
- "Change Your Mind" – 3:58
- "How Will I Know" – 3:11
- "A Love Profound" – 4:05
- "Lose You" – 2:55
- "Ms. America" – 3:35
- "All This Noise" – 1:50
Personnel
editBully
- Alicia Bognanno – vocals, instrumentation, art direction, design
Additional personnel
- Sasha Barr – art direction, design
- JT Daly – instrumentation, mixing, production
- Alysse Gafkjen – cover photography
- Joe LaPorta – mastering
- Josh Lovell – mixing
- Emily Nelson Rodgers – cello
- Soccer Mommy – vocals on "Lose You"
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Corcoran, Nina (March 21, 2023). "Bully Announce New Album Lucky for You, Share Video for New Song". Pitchfork.
- ^ "Lucky for You by Bully". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Swann, Emma (May 31, 2023). "Bully – Lucky For You review". DIY Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Shepherd, Kate (June 1, 2023). "Bully Finds Softness in the Feedback on 'Lucky for You'". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Loftin, Steven (June 2, 2023). "Bully: Lucky For You Review – growing pains sound so good". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Bennett, Eric (June 1, 2023). "Album of the Week | Bully: Lucky For You". Music > Reviews. Paste. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Rettig, James (May 30, 2023). "Bully 'Lucky For You' Review". Album of the Week. Stereogum. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Brodsky, Rachel (June 6, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 So Far". Album List. Stereogum. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Bennett, Eric (June 19, 2023). "The 25 Best Albums of 2023 (So Far)". Music > Lists > Best Albums. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Peyton (June 5, 2023). "Bully: Lucky for You". Albums. Pitchfork. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "25 best albums of 2023 so far". Alternative Press. June 23, 2023. ISSN 1065-1667. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Seymour, Corey (October 23, 2023). "The Best Albums of 2023 (So Far)". Music. Vogue. ISSN 0042-8000. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Best Albums of 2023: A–E". Bandcamp. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Music > Features > Best Albums. Paste. November 27, 2023. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2023". Music > Lists > Best Albums. Paste. December 10, 2023. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2023". Lists. PopMatters. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2023". Music > Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. November 30, 2023. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ "The 40 Best Indie-Rock Albums of 2023". Music > Music Lists. Rolling Stone. December 21, 2023. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2023". 2023 in Review. Stereogum. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "The 27 Best Albums of 2023". Music. The Ringer. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2023 Part 1". Lists. Under the Radar. December 23, 2023. ISSN 1553-2305. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Morrison, John (December 21, 2023). "The Culture Corner: John Morrison shares his favorite albums of 2023". NPR Music. World Cafe. WXPN. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
External links
edit- Lucky for You at Discogs (list of releases)
- Lucky for You at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Review from The Current
- Review from Glide Magazine
- Review from Spectrum Culture
- Review from Treblezine