By McKenna Klaphake

Minneapolis-based indie band, bugsy released their new EP, Now I Spend All of My Time Alone today, November 15, 2023. They were kind enough to give Minneapolis Lens an early listen and also answer some questions about the new project. This is the bands second album and follows their 2020 EP, Teratoma. Bugsy has brought in fans with their rock-based and grunge-inspired tracks ever since their creation in 2019. As an avid fan, I was beyond excited to learn about the release of the new EP, as I love Teratoma and quickly found bugsy as my top-played artist on Spotify last year. I found that the combination of groovy riffs, personal lyrics, and wickedly talented vocals scratched an itch in my brain that I couldn’t get enough of. As soon as I started listening to Now I Spend All of My Time Alone, I knew that I would get more of that same feeling. 

Bugsy brings together an incomparable group of musicians including vocalist/guitarist Emily Schoonover, bassist/vocalist Shannon Maroney, guitarist Griffen Desai, and drummer Al Norman. When discussing the band Schoonover told me “We recorded Teratoma in the spring of 2019. At that point, we had only been playing together as a band for about 2 months and weren’t super close.” They described that with the creation of Now I Spend All of My Time Alone the band has been able to grow closer and further develop as a cohesive unit. 

The EP opens with the track “town crier,” which fades in with electronic sounds and faint vocals, luring us, as listeners, in before exploding into quick drum beats. In fact, much of the song features this same alluring sound. The piece takes us through a story in which the narrator speaks in past tense and puts an emphasis on self-reflection and forgiveness with repeating lyrics featuring the EP title, “Look at how much I’ve grown / Now I spend all of my time alone.”

“Tiger Beetle” is fast-paced and highly energetic and is the kind of sound that bugsy has become known for. The fierce beats from drummer, Norman guide the group between timid verses and explosive choruses. Catchy lyrics, “If you don’t know who you are then you can’t fight back” are jaw-droppingly belted by Schoonover. Their dynamic voice is also highlighted in the bridge of this song as they sharply sing “If I can’t do right then I’d rather not try at all.”

My favorite track on the EP, hands down, is “soup,” as I have been listening to it on repeat since bugsy put it out in advance of the EP release. In addition to this track, “oh well” and “recluse” were also released as a preview of what was to come. I am so glad that they decided to put “soup” out early because I fell in love with it and got that familiar brain scratch that bugsy’s music seems to create. The feeling of “soup” can only be described perfectly by the band themselves; “…a song to sob to after running into someone who you were once really close to in the grocery store but now you realize you don’t know them at all anymore and everything’s the same but everything is different and it just feels kinda bad.” I mean, what more could you say about it than that? The song creates this eerie sound as they switch between isolated vocals and grungier bass and guitar riffs. Bugsy’s lyrics that already cut deep seem to stand out even more as Schoonover hauntingly sings, “Locked eyes with the stranger / Who still makes my blood run cold.” The instrumentals in this song mix wailing rock riffs with sludgier emo bass notes. The mix of this track was expertly crafted so that listeners can let loose and find solace in a deeply personal piece.

“Inchworm” is a slightly slower piece on the EP and really shows off Schoonover’s vocal range as softer vocals are highlighted. The song asks the question, “How do I break everything I touch?” while describing the act of holding an inchworm and crushing it in one’s finger. The narrator of this track wonders how one could be so fragile but also capable of destruction. With the lyrics, “If I could snap my pinkie finger / As easy as a carrot / Then how could it be / The weapon of a killer?” I really enjoyed the addition of this calmer piece among the higher energy tracks on this EP. 

“Oh well” is an upbeat heartache song that describes an all too common experience in queer relationships. As described by the band on Instagram, the track is “a sweet and gay little indie pop song to yearn to.” The narrator describes a queer love affair excused under the guise of friendship. Alas the relationship is doomed as one woman has a boyfriend. The catchy chorus features Schoonover wistfully singing the lyrics, “I think I like you way too much / I think I like you more than I’m allowed.” All of bugsy’s songs contain lyrics that are deeply personal and hint at lived experiences of the band members. When asked about this level of emotional vulnerability Schoonover told me, “Making music feels like an exorcism of the emotions I can’t otherwise healthily express in my day-to-day life. At the same time, I am also intensely protective of my own life experiences. Especially after having already released extremely personal music a few times. So, approaching songwriting from more of a ‘telling a story’ lens lets me be as vulnerable as possible without revealing too many personal details about my life.”

The first song released to the public, and the closing track on the EP, is “recluse.” This song reminds listeners of who bugsy is and how much they rock. Fast paced and intense instrumentals are highlighted in this piece as Schoonover sings the harsh lyrics, “He must like blood / He must like bad luck / Cause he stepped right into it.” When asked about creating Now I Spend All of My Time Alone Schoonover told me, “Recording it with Abe [Anderson] was magical. The first moment we listened back to “recluse” with most of it tracked, I felt such a beam of excitement. I love bouncing ideas back and forth while recording and saying weird ‘in-the-moment’ ideas that somehow end up working. The scream in “recluse” felt like a moment when the whole EP was finally starting to take shape.”

I truly have not disliked anything created by bugsy. As a queer woman, I feel seen and heard. The band creates exceptionally good music that hits you deep both lyrically and instrumentally. This is a band consisting of the new generation of rockstars that bring everything they’ve got to all of their musical projects and live performances. Their music speaks for itself, so go give Now I Spend All of My Time Alone lots of love as it is out NOW everywhere you stream your music!

Don’t miss bugsy performing live at 7th St. Entry on December 8!!