A dynamic eruption of angst, upheaval, and sonic euphoria, Soda Blonde’s anthem “Bully” is a beautifully cathartic release that moves us to dance, to dream big, and to never let the bad thoughts win.
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Stream: “Bully” – Soda Blonde
Oh it’s the beginning, and we don’t know what we’ve got; they’re going to heaven, and you don’t know why you’re not…
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Obsession is nine letters and a lifetime of turmoil.
It’s all too easy to fall prey to our own thoughts – to become a victim to our inner anxieties, insecurities, and demons. Try as we might, it happens all the time – that devil on our shoulder constantly keeping us second-guessing ourselves, wondering if we’re good enough for the lives we want and the lives we have.
Irish indie pop band Soda Blonde have wrestled with these emotions throughout their short, but mighty five-year tenure, and the group’s latest single is perhaps their boldest attempt yet to bring the darkness into the light, so that we may all shine a little brighter in our comings and goings. A dynamic, dramatic eruption of angst and upheaval, “Bully” is a beautifully cathartic release that moves us to dance, to dream big, and to fight the good fight for as long as we can, so as to never let the bad thoughts win.
We are so much more than our lowest moments or our darkest days, and through three minutes of enchanting, catchy sonic euphoria, Soda Blonde remind us not just to smile and see the light, but to know, once and for all, that we can overcome the bully within us.
Is it I embarrassed you?
Don’t you think that I look good?
But everybody all agrees
You and I were meant to be
Oh it’s the beginning
And we don’t know what we’ve got
They’re going to heaven
And you don’t know why you’re not
Released October 18th via Overbite Records, “Bully” is Soda Blonde’s only single of 2024 and a powerful return following 2023’s acclaimed sophomore album, Dream Big, which Atwood Magazine praised as “a record built on ambition, raw passion, and the unabating drive of the human spirit” and “beautifully dramatic and boldly dynamic – uncompromising both in its values and in its sound.”
As frontwoman Faye O’Rourke puts it, this new song channels her “brain rot” out into the world in a digestible, relatable framework.
“‘Bully’ is a stubborn knot of internal dialogue, unrequited love, and my own longing for acceptance,” she tells Atwood Magazine.
What is it that I did wrong?
You won’t look in my eyes anymore
But everybody all agrees
You and I were meant to be
We hear and feel the full force of her convictions in the song’s spirited chorus:
Oh it’s the beginning
and we don’t know what we’ve got
They’re going to heaven
And you don’t know why you’re not
I don’t think you’re listening
I told you it would be tough
I don’t think you want it
You’re not trying hard enough
“When I sat down to write this song, I’d just been listening to ‘I Won’t Let You Down‘ by Ph.D., a track from the ’80s about a man reflecting on a relationship that’s on the verge of collapse,” O’Rourke explains.
“As I listened, I started thinking about my own relationship with myself – how much damage I’ve done over the years trying to feel valued. The song is an expression of my own internal dialogue and intense self scrutiny. The chorus reflects my desire to being a good person – a goal I felt I was constantly falling short of achieving at the time, in very basic ways.”
I started thinking about my own relationship with myself – how much damage I’ve done over the years trying to feel valued. The song is an expression of my own internal dialogue and intense self scrutiny.
As Soda Blonde’s first (and likely only) release of 2024, “Bully” can be viewed as a lead-in to the alt-pop band’s next ‘era,’ following last year’s Dream Big.
That said, the song itself actually dates back to a few years before the band even formed, while they were all still in Little Green Cars (for a deeper understanding of Soda Blonde’s history, read our 2020 interview here).
“I remember Faye first playing it for us in a divey rehearsal room in Dublin City,” bandmate Adam O’Regan recalls. “We all loved it instantly but could never quite settle on an arrangement that felt right. It’s a song we’ve always come back to throughout the years. We just knew it had something special. It wasn’t until we got to Beekeepers in 2022 to start writing Dream Big that the first musical elements started to appear. We borrowed from Thin Lizzy’s ‘Sarah’ and ‘Wild One’ with the use of some ’70s guitar harmonies. There’s hints of Michael Jackson and Prince in the synth bass parts. It all came together to create something that felt both nostalgic, but modern to us at the same time.”
You’re giving me the runaround
You’re giving me the runaround
I’m giving you the runaround
We don’t know what we’ve got
There you have it – pulling from past and present, Soda Blonde have delivered something undeniably, intoxicatingly fresh.
I don’t think you want it, you’re not trying hard enough…
While its author may be drenched in dread, “Bully” is utter ecstasy: An uplifting, smile-inducing revelry that all but demands kinetic movement from its audience.
So as Soda Blonde hopelessly dwell in anxiety on one hand, the other is busy getting lost in a moment of emotional and sonic release.
The end result is a perfect marriage of intimate feeling and soul-stirring sound – and another reminder (not that we needed it) of Soda Blonde’s breathtaking talents and their enduring strength as a singular voice in the indie pop space and a need-to-know musical juggernaut.
Oh it’s the beginning
and we don’t know what we’ve got
They’re going to heaven
And you don’t know why you’re not
I don’t think you’re listening
I told you it would be tough
I don’t think you want it
You’re not trying hard enough
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:: stream/purchase Bully here ::
:: connect with Soda Blonde here ::
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Stream: “Bully” – Soda Blonde
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