Feels Like is the debut studio album by American rock band Bully, released on June 23, 2015 by Startime International and Columbia Records.[7] The album was produced by Bully frontwoman Alicia Bognanno and recorded in 2014 at Electrical Audio in Chicago.[8][9]

Feels Like
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 25, 2015
Recorded2014
StudioElectrical Audio (Chicago, Illinois)
Genre
Length27:51
Label
ProducerAlicia Bognanno
Bully chronology
Bully
(2014)
Feels Like
(2015)
Losing
(2017)
Singles from Feels Like
  1. "I Remember"
    Released: March 11, 2015[4]
  2. "Trying"
    Released: April 7, 2015[5]
  3. "Too Tough"
    Released: June 12, 2015[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[10]
Metacritic77/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [12]
The A.V. ClubB[13]
Exclaim!8/10[14]
The Guardian     [2]
NME8/10[3]
Pitchfork7.8/10[15]
Q     [16]
Rolling Stone     [17]
Spin8/10[18]
Uncut8/10[19]

Feels Like received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 77, based on 19 reviews.[11] In his review for NME, Robert Cooke highlighted Alicia Bognanno's "honest, witty" songwriting and stated that Feels Like "revels in the simplicity of a great pop song while cleverly articulating the everyday truths of 20-something life".[3] Pitchfork's Laura Snapes noted the contrast between the "explosive, rollicking" music and Bognanno's lyrics, which Snapes felt displayed an intimacy comparable to that of "Courtney Barnett or Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield".[15] James Oldham of Q wrote that while Bully's heavy influence from 1990s alternative rock is apparent, the album "retains a thrilling freshness" due to Bognanno's "formidable presence", as well as her "taut, confessional" lyrics, whose directness he said complemented the music's "brutal succinctness".[16]

Michael Hann of The Guardian was less enthusiastic, describing Feels Like as "a grab-bag of early-90s alt-rock styles that sounded tired by the mid-90s – and haven't got any fresher since."[2]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Alicia Bognanno

No.TitleLength
1."I Remember"1:47
2."Reason"2:46
3."Too Tough"3:17
4."Brainfreeze"2:36
5."Trying"3:53
6."Trash"3:58
7."Six"2:17
8."Picture"2:48
9."Milkman"2:04
10."Bully"2:25
Total length:27:51
Digital edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Sharktooth"3:29
Total length:31:20

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[20]

Bully

  • Alicia Bognanno – vocals, guitar
  • Stewart Copeland – drums
  • Reece Lazarus – bass
  • Clayton Parker – guitar

Production

Design

  • Daniel Topete – photography
  • Esther Pearl Watson – cover photography

Charts

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Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[21] 10
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[22] 34

References

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  1. ^ Michalik, Timmy (October 18, 2017). "Bully are on to a winner with Losing". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Hann, Michael (July 30, 2015). "Bully: Feels Like review – a grab-bag of early 90s alt-rock styles". The Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Cooke, Robert (June 15, 2015). "Bully – 'Feels Like'". NME. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (March 11, 2015). "Bully's 'I Remember' Is The Most Energizing Punk Song You'll Hear All Day". The Fader. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Claymore, Gabriela Tully (April 7, 2015). "Bully – 'Trying' (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (June 12, 2015). "Bully Gets 'Too Tough' On Yowling New Single". Spin. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (March 26, 2015). "Bully Announce Debut Album Feels Like". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (July 30, 2015). "How Bully's Alicia Bognanno Went From Studio Geek to Alt-Rock Screamer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  9. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (May 6, 2015). "Bully: Honesty Is Their Best Policy". Spin. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "Feels Like by Bully reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Feels Like by Bully Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  12. ^ Deming, Mark. "Feels Like – Bully". AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  13. ^ Anthony, David (June 23, 2015). "Bully serves up a pop-rock sucker punch with Feels Like". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  14. ^ Lindsay, Cam (June 19, 2015). "Bully: Feels Like". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Snapes, Laura (June 25, 2015). "Bully: Feels Like". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Oldham, James (September 2015). "Bully: Feels Like". Q. No. 350. pp. 109–110.
  17. ^ Sheffield, Rob (June 29, 2015). "Feels Like". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  18. ^ Joyce, Colin (June 23, 2015). "Review: Bully Stone and Dethrone the '90s Indie Set on 'Feels Like'". Spin. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  19. ^ Watts, Peter (August 2015). "Bully: Feels Like". Uncut. No. 219. p. 72.
  20. ^ Feels Like (liner notes). Bully. Startime International / Columbia Records. 2015. 88875075122.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Bully Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  22. ^ "Bully Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
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