Bully, the indie rock project of Alicia Bognanno, has shared a devastating piano ballad titled “Atom Bomb.” Stream the new song below.
On the stripped-down track, Bognanno doesn’t hold anything back while opening up about a former lover who left her behind. “I’m ashamed, I lose myself in people like I lost myself in you,” she sings, her voice full of pain. “I bite my tongue, I don’t wanna give in/ You’re already gone and I’ve been living/ Like an atom bomb waiting to be lit.”
In a statement, Bognanno explained that “Atom Bomb” wasn’t always a piano ballad. “The song was originally recorded with a drum machine and electric guitar; it was also quite a bit faster,” she said about the standalone track. “When I played the demo for [producer] JT Daly, he had the idea of moving it to the piano. I remember saying out loud, ‘Can you believe I’m trusting anybody like this?’”
She continued, “We both started laughing because starting off as someone who used to record, mix, and produce their own records to avoid the vulnerability that comes with working out creative ideas in the company of others, it was a huge step for me. That was our first real bonding moment, acknowledging that we were mutually up for trying new things and seeing each other’s ideas through before one of us shut it down.”
“Atom Bomb” arrives with a live performance video directed by Bree Marie Fish and shot at MMK studios in Nashville. Watch it below.
Bully’s last studio album, Lucky for You, was released in 2023. She is currently touring North America in support of Grouplove. See the full schedule below, and get tickets here.
Bully 2024 Tour Dates:
02/29 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom #
03/02 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater #
03/05 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park #
03/06 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues #
03/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern #
03/09 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren #
03/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Van Buren #
03/12 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen #
03/13 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom #
03/15 – Saint Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre #
03/16 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre #
03/17 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall #
03/19 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! #
03/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s #
03/22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre#
03/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall #
03/25 – Richmond, VA @ The National #
03/29 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner #
03/30 – New York City, NY @ Terminal Five #
11/14 – London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
# = w/ GROUPLOVE