After establishing themselves through the introspective textures of the Levity EP, Bitter Blue return with “Port Wine Blood,” a single that signals both a natural progression and a bold new chapter for the band. Blending atmospheric production, soaring melodies, and a renewed sense of optimism, the track serves as the opening statement for their forthcoming debut album—an album shaped by patience, intuition, and years of creative evolution.
What makes “Port Wine Blood” particularly remarkable is its journey. Conceived musically nearly a decade ago and carried forward through countless iterations, the song has finally found its moment, emerging as a defining piece of Bitter Blue’s artistic identity. Balancing emotional vulnerability with anthemic energy, it captures the band’s growing confidence in embracing space, restraint, and a more organic sonic palette.
We spoke with Bitter Blue about the long road behind the single, the collaborative spirit that drives the band, the creative vision behind their debut album, and why sometimes the songs that matter most are the ones willing to wait.
This release feels like a clear evolution in sound—what was the starting point emotionally or conceptually for “Port Wine Blood”?
Funnily enough, I’d written the music for this track a decade ago but sometimes it takes time for these things to simmer until the moment’s perfect. The title occurred to me in a Starbucks while taking a trip through Portugal (who would’ve guessed?) in 2016 and despite having no inherent meaning behind it, I just knew it was going to be a lead single someday. Lo and behold, here we are!
How does this single connect to the broader vision for the upcoming debut album?
Port is not only the oldest song on the album, it also sets the tone for the record really well – hence its choice as the lead single as well as album opener. It’s one of the most pop-leaning cuts we’ve done so far, and as such is representative of the direction we’ve deliberately taken with this new release. I like to think of it as catchy and organic without lacking substance, and this is really the vibe we were hoping to achieve across the record as a whole. It’s hopeful and uplifting in spite of having its darker moments, which wasn’t always the case with our music in the past.
The production feels spacious and atmospheric—how intentional was the use of space and restraint in the arrangement?
Very intentional indeed, thank you for noticing! I find the term “less is more” somewhat abused these days but it really is the key to a lot of great music that’s stood the test of time over the years. I used the word “organic” earlier and only just realized it’s the perfect adjective for the atmosphere we’ve tried to create or capture, whichever you prefer. There’s something very natural and airy about it, almost like it takes up more space with fewer things going on in the mix – each individual element has more room to shine without fighting for attention.
What were the biggest challenges in translating the emotional core of the song into its final sonic form?
Luckily, there weren’t many challenges with this one given I’d only had ten years and lord knows how many arrangements in the meantime to get it right hahah. Not to sound overly pretentious but when you know you have a gem on your hands, the trick is simply not to meddle too much and s**** it up. It also helps to have a world-class band and producer by your side, I’ll tell you that much!
How did your creative roles within the band shape the final version of the track?
As with all of our music, I like to treat Bitter Blue as the perfect blend of autocracy and democracy. The overarching vision is 100% mine but the execution of it is largely in the hands of everyone involved. The point has always been to create something of value with each member’s personal stamp on it as long as that stamp fits into the aforementioned vision. Milan Mirić (vocals), Miloš Dabetić (bass guitar) and Stefan Mark Milojković (drums & production) each made some stellar contributions to the end result as far as I’m concerned, and I couldn’t be happier with how it all panned out (pun very much intended).
Can you walk us through the songwriting process—did it begin with lyrics, melody, or texture?
In this case it definitely began with the music and the name. Years ago, I’d never write the lyrics until I knew exactly what I would be talking about. That said, Port Wine Blood set something of a precedent and in some ways foreshadowed how the songs on our new album would be written a decade later (lyrics-wise, at least). Most tracks – PWB included – followed an inductive process whereby the content and the meaning are derived along the way from a simple title which serves as a kernel of sorts. It was all very feel-based and intuitive, trying to channel a feeling and an atmosphere rather than consciously convey a specific point.
The track balances introspection with anthemic energy—how do you decide where to hold back and where to push forward?
I already mentioned it’s a pop song at heart so naturally, introspection belongs in the verses while the choruses are tasked with the high-octane synth crescendo that comes with emotional release. The fuzzed-out guitar solo is there just to keep you on your toes before the grand finale courtesy of our lovely backing vocalists Natalija Stamenković, Neda Milojković and Mina Stojanović.
Were there any songs, artists, or eras that influenced the mood or direction of this release?
Production-wise, I really like The Neighbourhood’s overall aesthetic but it’s not something we tried to emulate or anything like that. If anything, we were more reacting to the previous era of this very band and the Levity EP which – as dear to me as it is – at times felt overly polished and pristine. There was definitely a conscious attempt this time to go more lo-fi, allow things to breathe more and just generally flow a little better.
The lyrics deal with themes of doubt and emotional uncertainty—how personal is this material for you?
It’s hard to say since it was our singer Milan who wrote the lyrics for this track, as well as for the upcoming two singles. The topics are definitely relatable nonetheless and I think that’s what matters most regardless of the author’s personal attachment to a song. I find it beautiful how the two of us can write in ways where it’s almost indistinguishable who wrote what, we really do complement each other well in that department and I hope and believe we were able to tell a cohesive and engaging story across the record’s ten tracks.
Has your approach to writing about vulnerability changed since the Levity EP?
The main thing that’s changed is that I’ve tried being more optimistic this time around. It can be challenging to write from a place of content and tranquility, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could create something of value without it sounding cliched or contrived in any way. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of catharsis in there but it comes with a more pronounced silver lining which arguably makes it more vulnerable in my opinion.
What role does collaboration play in shaping your sound versus individual songwriting instincts?
It’s pretty central to it, but like I mentioned there’s very much a fine balance that needs to be struck for optimal results. “Instincts” is certainly an important term here and I’ve learned how to trust mine over the past however many years of honing my craft; there’s still no replacement for creative debate though. I count myself lucky to be surrounded by such creative forces who aren’t afraid to challenge me when it’s needed most, and trust me when I say I’m not always a fan of being challenged which they can undoubtedly confirm haha.
At what point did you realize this song was becoming something central to the identity of the next record?
Right when I wrote it in 2016 – it just had to wait for me to write the rest of the album to accompany it 🙂 Good things take time but it’s always more than worth it in the end.
How do you approach creating music that feels both emotionally specific and universally relatable?
I don’t. I just write what I write and hope it resonates with somebody out there. And if it doesn’t, that’s fine too – as long as it still resonates with me once it’s released, I know I’ve done right by my vision. In fact, I’d go as far to say that the more specific the music feels, the more universally relatable it becomes; humans are incredibly diverse and incredibly similar at the same time, and touching on some finer feelings in a song can often lead to surprising outcomes in terms of how many souls a song can end up reaching. I’m not suggesting that will be the case with this single, that would be arrogant. But there’s something to be said for just going with your gut even if no one else can pinpoint exactly what it is you’re going for.
What does success look like for this new era of Bitter Blue—sonically and artistically?
Staying true to ourselves as much as possible, whatever that means at any given time including the present moment. It’s a generic sounding answer but it’s all you can ever really do – enjoy the creative process without pretending you’re someone else even for a single second. Playing some live shows would also be an interesting experience after we’ve first gauged how people react to the music itself. One day at a time.
Looking back, what moment in the making of “Port Wine Blood” felt like the breakthrough in terms of direction or confidence?
Recording the outro of the song whose arrangement was another one of Milan’s strokes of brilliance. I won’t reveal more than that for the time being, feel free to check out the tune for more details.
