Australian Premiere: Foxblood's New Single, 'Bittersweet'

31 July 2017 | 4:57 pm | Alex Sievers
Originally Appeared In

Foxblood hit back with new single 'Bittersweet' and we're bloody stoked on it!

Foxblood hit back with new single 'Bittersweet' and we're bloody stoked on it!



One of my personal favourite Australian records from 2016 was easily Foxblood's grand debut, 'The Devil, The Dark & The Rain'.

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'The Devil, The Dark & The Rain' was an album I described in my review simply as "The Banger, The Banger, & The Banger", scoring it 92/100. And nearly 10 months on from that release and I still love that album deeply. Which is why I'm incredibly excited that Foxblood is teaming up with us to follow that release with their killer new single, 'Bittersweet'.

Much like 'Swan Song', 'Hurricane Hearts', their debut LP's eponymous track or its anthemic lead single, 'Die Young', the Melbourne band's latest tune is a powerful, synth layered metalcore track; driven by melancholic poetic vocals, tight riffs and some fuckin' huge choruses. The new track was recorded in-house by the band's own drummer, Aaron Beale (who also runs Parallel Studios), and it was mixed & mastered by Forrester Savell, who was behind the mighty sounds of the first two records from both Karnivool and Dead Letter Circus. Which would explain why Foxblood have never sounded better than they do on 'Bittersweet', which you can stream below.

The sole image you'll see in the song's lyric video above is that of The Rain, a gas-mask wearing metaphorical character in the band's lyrical narrative that represents the lowest lows of mental health, which played a big part in the narrative of their debut LP. Last year, in our Aussie Feature on the band, vocalist Chris Millward told me that The Rain is "...sickness and the slow decline to death, to toxicity, to depression".

For me, I find The Rain also represents that of resolution, but not necessarily a profoundly happy or closure-filled resolution. And with this new song's emotionally scathing lyrics of, "The doctor said "Your head's a mess, you've come apart bit by bit/Take medicine, you'll feel again", but I sure as hell just feel like shit" and "He says "It's probably all that drinking"/and I say "Doc, you're overthinking, why would I interfere with a process that's keeping me from sinking?”, mental health, addiction and definitely not the happiest of endings are key elements for this epic new track's themes.

Finally, with this new release, Foxblood are also very excited to announce that they'll be taking 'Bittersweet' out on the road before you know it. Presented by Killyourstereo.com and Friends Like Us, Foxblood's headline tour in September will also feature their good friends in Perth metallers Make Way For Man and their peers in Advocates both in supporting roles.

Check out their full list of dates below and you can grab your tickets here.

FOXBLOOD BITTERSWEET 2017 TOUR POSTER



Maybe it goes without saying at this point, but I am very keen on what comes next from this band!