Cork band Cliffords is making a statement loudly, unapologetically, and undeniably. Their newest single, “Bittersweet,” represents an evolution and an important milestone in their journey. Now, the band is signed to a new label, “Soil To The Sun,” and is stepping out into a new, robust, expansive era.
Mixed by Richie Kennedy at Battery Studios in London, “Bittersweet” is a jangly, buoyantly ethereal shoegaze-grunge hybrid, a tug of-war between dreamy distortion and a raw emotional center. Leading the pack is Iona Lynch, a fiery presence unshackled by the conventions of softer singing, her voice hoisted above the din with the raw, primal ebullience that propels this song far out of the poorly lit dive bars of their hometown, and on to a larger stage.
There’s a cinematic quality to how “Bittersweet” develops tsunamis of reverb-soaked guitar flow and ebb, broken by quiet tension before culminating in cascades of enveloping sound. The track veers between tenderness and fury, capturing that odd, inescapable pull of something that inflicts pain and soothes it. The band embraces nostalgia, love, and loss to an intimate and transcendent degree.
For Cliffords, this is a declaration of purpose. A group that used to lurk in the darkness is finally emerging into the light. As they prepare for a potentially breakthrough year, “Bittersweet” is an electrifying introduction to a band with the passion, spirit, and sound to reach beyond their Cork location.
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