Bittersweet is out now!
Image: Meliora Film.
Gold Coast-based artist Archer has shared her new single, Bittersweet. To celebrate the release, the singer has curated an exclusive playlist for MILKY full of genre-blurring songs that inspire her electronic-pop sound.
“The track itself is about going out of your way to change how you are for the benefit of someone else and the realisation that the whole feeling is bittersweet when it doesn’t work out. The story is told in the terms of a relationship that goes sour after miscommunicated expectations which makes it all a bit sassy and fun – I mean not for anyone who takes it to heart though.” Archer shares of the single.
“Drest and I had worked on the beat in late 2022 but with different lyrics and then kind of worked on other things and the track was left on the shelf. Then in early 2023 we decided to revisit it because the demo was really cool and had heaps of potential. The chorus started with the line “Boy your rings just make your fingers green '' which was a really cool concept to start to workshop the rest of the lyrics around. Once we’d finished the basic idea of the beat and all the lyrics, we brought on Riverine to beef it up and add a little razzle dazzle to the drops. And so that's how the track became the way it is.”
TOKYO DRIFT – MALLRAT
There’s something about when this track starts to play, the synth at the beginning gives me instant serotonin. I could listen to this song on repeat for the rest of my life.
ALIEN BOY – OLIVER TREE
Notpil, who produced Malibu, sent this track through as inspiration for Malibu back in 2018. We kind of took the fun percussion as an idea from this track and ran with it.
4EVER – CLAIRO
I love the song writing in this track. While the production is fun and funky, when you really drill down to the meaning behind the lyrics it feels kind of existential but poppy.
TEENAGERS – DESMOND AND THE TUTUS
I remember finding this track on Soundcloud in 2015 and just became addicted to it. I love the way that the teenage experience is represented and I just think it’s a heap of fun.
SAY IT TO MY FACE – MADISON BEER
I absolutely love the sass Madison beer delivers in this track. Something just hit different with this track when I was listening to it back in 2018.
IDONTWANNABEYOUANYMORE – BILLIE EILISH
I remember covering this track sitting on the floor in my bedroom. I’m just obsessed with every lyric in the song. Not a single sentence doesn’t HIT.
SOLO – FRANK OCEAN
This was the first Frank Ocean song I ever listened to which feels iconic in its own right. It feels like such an honest admission of heartbreak. I also love how it almost feels like its spoken/sung almost like poetry?
SIDES – ALLDAY
I remember seeing Allday for the first time in Wollongong and I feel like there was some kind of light bulb moment where I thought, okay this is cool. That was in March 2018, I dropped Malibu in July.
JUST FRIENDS – HAYDEN JAMES
This song is an absolute bop but I also really like the song writing. The double entendere-esque songwriting was somewhere I drew inspiration especially when writing for Malibu.
TAKE ME ALL THE WAY HOME – AIRPLANE MAN
I love the production in this track. I find the bass line and the pulsing synths so cool and it’s just so much fun.
Bittersweet is out now!