X/Z Song Trader: "Days Move Slow"

A Gen X Rocker Discusses Music With His Gen Z Daughter

About X/Z Song Trader: Steve is a musician, author and music journalist. Lucy is a diehard music fan and college student. They have always enjoyed a father/daughter bond over music. Each week one of them picks a song and they both share their perspectives. These are casual conversations based on musical connections. Opinions are their own. Keeping it positive.

That’s the simple idea for this series. We’ll start with four installments and see how it goes…

Here’s the first post in the series:

Introducing: X/Z Song Trader

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Steve’s Song Choice

This is easily one of my favorite songs from 2023.

It had me from the opening drum beat, which reminds me of “La La Love You” by Pixies. It’s an obvious influence that carries throughout the song with the echo-y “Ohhhh oh” backing vocals and “Debaser”-esque guitars, while the choruses probably lean a little more toward “Cannonball” by The Breeders.

But that’s just all the surface stuff that originally got my attention. What had me playing this track on repeat for about a month were the lyrics. There’s something irresistible about dark lines like, “So I read up on the afterlife, I don't believe in Jesus Christ, Just somewhere we can all belong” set to such perfect alternative pop music.

I’m honestly in awe of Alicia Bognanno, the talented singer/songwriter/guitarist and producer behind Bully. Since I never paid much attention to them before, “Days Move Slow” led to exploring all four albums (including a couple made as a full band before Bully became Bognanno’s solo project). They’re all great in their own ways.

I think I texted “Days Move Slow” to you and your sibling the day I heard it, certain that the two of you would instantly love it as much as I did.

And not just because it has such a ‘90s alternative rock sound to it. I mean, that’s part of the appeal for me, but I thought this track would easily fit on a playlist somewhere between a few of your favorites like Florence + the Machine and Olivia Rodrigo.

Alas, “Days Move Slow” didn’t grab either of you. I wondered at the time if it was too straight-ahead rock for your tastes, but then I recommended Kate Clover and you both loved her music—enough for you to see her live with me (which was amazing).

I thought it would be interesting to revisit “Days Move Slow” here.

I never really bonded with my parents over music, but as you know I was lucky to have two older brothers who were kind of like cool younger uncles. They were musicians who introduced me to many great heavy metal/hard rock bands and took me to arena shows. It was actually my next door neighbor’s mom who finally turned me onto British Invasion music by The Beatles, The Stones and Kinks when I was a kid.

I’m fascinated by generational dynamics around music, but I sometimes wonder if it’s weird for you to have a dad that likes modern music, writes about it sometimes, and occasionally recommends songs to you. On the flip side, you have introduced me to a lot of great music ("Homesick" by Noah Kahan is a recent example) and turned me into a Swiftie Dad (still in my Speak Now (Taylor's Version) era...).

More importantly, for the purposes of X/Z Song Trader, I’d love to know what you thought of "Days Move Slow" back then, and whether or not your opinion has changed now that you’re listening to more indie rock.

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Lucy’s Perspective

It had me from the first drum beat as well!

The immediate kick lets me know that this song is going to be a lot of fun. It sounds almost hollow right before diving into the melodic intro. And I love Alicia’s voice. It sounds funky in a similar way to Adrianne Lenker, who I adore—but the echo-y background vocals in this song are honestly what sold me. 

I love, love, love songs that talk about the feeling of wanting to believe in something but you just don’t, and wanting somewhere to feel like yourself. That lyric was the first one that really caught my attention, but one that stuck with me well after the song had finished was this one:

And I’m stuck somewhere in between
Your death and my lucid dream

It really pushes the listener to go beyond the melodic ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ of this song to think long and hard about what the true meaning might be. Though I’m sure some would disagree, to me this lyric is a testament to feeling trapped in grief and sorrow while still hoping for something more, no matter how unattainable it may be. 

This song definitely has the same eerie and funky/indie vibes as much of Florence and The Machine’s discography, which is an automatic win in my book.

I don’t know if I ever gave this song a full listen when you initially sent it, maybe for lack of time or something along those lines.

For me, it takes a couple of tries to really enjoy a song, just like with Kate Clover and other more rock-centric sounds. Despite not knowing what my initial reactions to this song were months ago, I can confidently say that right now I love this style of music and Bully is definitely something way more on my radar at this point in time. 

Growing up with a parent as obsessed with music as you are really did have a positive influence on me. Although not all of your musical tastes coincide with mine, some of my favorite memories as a kid are wearing your giant headphones—connected to the stereo—and listening to music. Or driving in the car to Big Star and The Beatles.

Your love for music, modern and classic, drove my love for it as well. Music is one of the most important creative outlets to me. Although I’ll probably never make any of my own, it facilitated a pretty strong love for all its forms, and allowed me to appreciate the music in the world around me. 

P.S. I love you! 

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What Do You Think Of This Bully Song?

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Lucy’s Song Choice For Next Week

“All My Love” by Noah Kahan

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