Millie Manders and the Shutup, Bitter
Self-release

If ever there was a time we need a breath of fresh air, the midst of a heatwave is it, and Millie Manders and the Shutup provide exactly that. Latest taste of their debut album Telling Truths, Breaking Ties, Bitter is the answer to the sweetness of previous track Your Story. It’s three and a half minutes of unadulterated rage, hatred, and vicious catchiness: a punk powerhouse on every level.

Bitter delivers start to finish – grinding, scorching guitar riffs, immense builds, and headbang-worthy beats. When the guitars aren’t thumping out a massive musical backdrop to Manders’ cartwheeling vocals, they’re weaving through countermelodies that haul Bitter up to a dizzy peak and leave you desperate for a drop.

Perhaps the most thrilling part of the track, though, is Manders herself. Punk frontwomen are de facto all awesome, and Manders goes above and beyond to mark herself out as one of the best. Bitter’s verses are a tirade of wrath executed magnetically, and on the choruses she effortlessly delivers a colossal cascade of a hook that wouldn’t feel out of place on a metal track.

Bitter’s power comes from how unapologetic it is. Manders does not hold back in any way, shape, or form – whoever this song is about must have ears burning so hot they’re practically scorched off. If songs could kill, they’d be dead. It’s refreshing, though, to hear someone owning their feelings so vividly. Manders’ screeching condemnations of betrayal, deceit, and mistreatment leave you feeling as Bitter as she does, and there’s definitely comfort in it. Bitter is a reminder that it’s okay to hate the guts of people who’ve done you wrong, and it’s even better when you can resonate with a track as exhilerating as this.

Telling Truths, Breaking Ties is out October 23rd.