LA-based electronic pop duo Bitter:Sweet is finally back with “Rise,” their most personal, emotionally packed single, and the latest single to be released from their new album, “Baby Is Back,” forthcoming April 25th, 2025.
The life force at the center of “Rise” is Shana Halligan’s ethereal yet plaintive vocal delivery, which bears the weight of love, loss, and the ability to carry on. The song was written in the final days leading up to the death of Halligan’s father, Dick Halligan, the iconic pioneer of jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears. That emotional landscape gives “Rise” a rare depth of intimacy, a farewell, a blessing, and a cathartic release.
Co-written by Joseph David Verschaetse and produced by Verskotzi, “Rise” smoothly intertwines Bitter:Sweet’s hallmark lush electronic production with a naked, human heart. The track’s soundscape is airy but potent, gliding through waves of cinematic strings, gentle percussion, and ambient textures into something transcendent. The song stays with you like a message whispered cross-sections of time.
The lyrics read like a private diary, drawing listeners into Halligan’s world with spare, haunting truth. Each possible note sounds of pain and peace, a juxtaposition that makes “Rise” so capturing. Instead of wallowing in grief, the track rises, fitting for its title, turning despair into something hopeful, almost heavenly.
With “Rise,” Bitter:Sweet composes an experience. If anything, this single is a testament to the healing power of art, that even amid the depths of loss, beauty can flourish. Building up to “Baby Is Back,” “Rise” is a potent preview and a reminder of Bitter:Sweet’s ability to weave smooth, sultry electronic elegance amid raw, emotional storytelling.
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