An Interview With Bitter Blue
- BuzzSlayers
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
An EP release from Bitter Blue comes through with a soiree of rock influences, unique and intricate guitar work, but these natural flows that let the songs come through with a lot of Life.
The record boasts tons of personality, as there is plenty of honesty that's given off the road it's course, and the whole thing blends indie, progressive, and pop rock pretty much seamlessly, which is something I found to be very refreshing.
The EP is titled Levity, and it kicks things off with the first track, "Someone Better".
This is a brilliant song to introduce the record with because it starts to give you a bit of a feel for the world you're about to step into as a whole.
The drum performance on this record is brilliant because it cuts through everything. The kick and snare are very driving, and it feels like something that the song really utilizes to push forward.
The drumming on most of the tracks really gives them an edginess as well, which kind of bleeds into alternative rock at times, including this initial first single.
Right off the bat, you're getting amazing vocal hooks, even through the verses. Those choruses are really colorful and kind of cinematic because the effects that are used on the vocals give them a certain vastness.
A lot of the songs actually feel quite cinematic, if you ask me. These are tracks that have layers, and the guitar work really helps build those out.
The guitars on this track are somewhat clean, but they also are drenched in different kinds of effects, which let them feel almost swimming throughout the song.
"Dirty Business" follows that first song, and this one has a bit of the same feel in terms of the flowing guitar work, playing arpeggiated chords and creating layers, but there are also elements during the course is where things get a little bit heavier.
It's not like the guitars have a huge distortion on them, because they don't. It's more just the fact that the guitar work turns into steady riffs, and the single-note riffs are heavy-handed in terms of their performance.
Once again, the drums and vocals really help drive that through the roof, but everything is very well balanced in terms of the color and edginess factors.
"Flare" is where things start branching out. This track feels way more theatrical; animated vocals thrive throughout this one as he hits different kinds of notes, and even his vibrato feels outside the box here.
This track really showed me that this release will keep you on your toes, in a sense. There are surprises around its corners that you simply don't expect, and even though those are a little different than some of the other songs you're listening to here, there's still compliment and go together perfectly.
"Sentinel" is one of the more rock singles on the record. Again, the whole thing is rock, but there is a little bit of melodic drive rather than edginess on most of the songs. This track hits with distorted guitars and much more of a grungier indie rock feel, and I really liked this as well.
This is another way that songs will surprise you on this release.
One of the things that stood out to me on this track in particular is the way the vocals were approached. Throughout a lot of this song, he is singing octaves: one higher version of the melodies and one lower version double-tracked on top of each other. This adds thickness to the performance, and it feels more emotional in a way because of it.
I really love how he doesn't utilize this throughout the entire record but just here and there, so that when those parts come up and he uses this technique, they're more impactful.
This whole record has a lot of heart to it. It goes pretty deep; there's a lot of honesty in those lyrics, but a lot of the actual vocal performances and guitar work, songwriting, and arrangement throughout this record is really what wraps itself around you and keeps you right where it wants to.
This was definitely a pretty intense record, and it had plenty of moments that left their mark well. It was avant-garde in a certain way, experimental here and there, but also had a bit of warmth, plenty of brightness, and showcased a band that isn't afraid to step outside their comfort zone to create something unique.
This whole release breeds its own atmosphere, and that's one of the main reasons you want to listen to it.
After I heard it, I wanted to talk with the band about where it actually came from, so that's exactly what happened.
So, while you dig through this awesome record, you should absolutely read our interview with Bitter Blue below.
Remember where you heard it first.
Where did this EP come from and what is it about?
- The EP came about in a time of personal turmoil and creating it was one of the healthier and more cathartic coping mechanisms I had at hand during this period of my life. Levity is about love, loss, ecstasy, despair and ultimately, the redemptive power of friendship without which the release would have never come to be.
I am hearing a few different styles on this release. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
- There's way too many to mention since the nature of influences is not always as direct as people expect them to be. Some of the artists we love include Foals, Radiohead, The Strokes, Interpol and similar artists, a lot of whom made their name in the 2000s. I'll keep it short lest I keep going for days :)
Are you performing live right now?
- We are not. That might change in the future but for now, the focus is on creating a lasting body of work more so than performing it live.
When and how did you guys start as a band exactly?
- Around COVID time. It was fall of 2021 when we started demoing the first EP, and the whole idea behind the project was to involve people dear to me with whom I'd been friends for years but somehow never committed anything to tape with. That said, we're not a band per se, more a revolving collective of individuals centered around one or two key people.
What's next for you? Working on new material?
- Our first full-length record has already been tracked and will be released in September of this year. It's called Blueberry Eyes, Raspberry Tears and it contains ten new tracks which sound like an upgraded version of the band you heard on Levity.
Was this recorded at a big studio, or home DAW?
- A combination of both. We record everything at Buzz Box Studios in our hometown of Niš, Serbia. It's the perfect mix of analog and digital, with an atmosphere to boot.
Did you work with a producer on the release, or is this all you?
- Stefan Mark Milojković is our drummer and producer so he was in charge of engineering, producing, mixing and mastering (in addition to playing drums, obviously). This is how it will continue to be so long as Bitter Blue exists! Definitely wouldn't want to work with anyone else.
What would you say people can expect to hear on this record?
- Levity is an emotionally charged release, no doubt about it. Having said that, we also had a lot of fun recording it and I think that comes through in how it sounds. We're all millennials too so you can expect a hefty dose of noughties nostalgia but dressed in a much more modern packaging!
Before we go, what would you want to express to fans of the music?
- Stay curious and keep discovering new music, support artists you care about on Bandcamp and by visiting their shows, don't listen to AI "music" if your life depends on it. Thanks for reading and listening! Cheers!
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