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Back with another entry to an impressively growing body of work, Sydney indie outfit LAHGO present their new single, ‘Bitter’. As their second release for 2025, ‘Bitter’ is a fitting follow up from LAHGO’s dynamic track ‘She’ – a song that further positioned the act as one to watch.
With a central sound that will undoubtedly speak to fans of artists including Arctic Monkeys, The Preatures and Wolf Alice, LAHGO’s music captures in a way that ensures the listener remains hooked by the band’s distinct flavour and rich songwriting talent.
WIth ‘Bitter’, LAHGO demonstrated a continued polish when it comes to lyricism and arrangement, as vocalist/songwriter Mel Bailey offers up perspective and fury – jampacked with personality and euphoria.
“’Bitter’ is my middle finger to every ‘no’ I’ve ever heard. It’s for the ones who doubted me, overlooked me, talked over me and still wanna watch me fall. “You wanna watch me fall… you keep me begging for more.” That line is me saying: you pushed for my fall, but I turned it into fuel.
I didn’t write ‘Bitter’ to be polished or pretty, I wrote it to be real. It came from rejection, frustration, and the fire to prove myself. The production mirrors that tension: gritty guitars, layered vocals, and space to let the emotion breathe. It was less about perfection and more about honesty.
We got in the studio the night after I watched the ONEFOUR documentary, which made something click. It reminded me how powerful it is to turn frustration into fuel. I didn’t face what they did, but their story made me look at my own experiences differently and gave me the push to be louder in my own way as a woman of colour.” MEL BAILEY, LAHGO
Released alongside the track is a music video, shot by the bands bassist/vocalist Lee Denman and edited by front-woman Mel Bailey.
The video perfectly demonstrates the band’s performative charisma, oozing style and attitude as they play through the track in a laneway in Redfern.
“We had a $75 budget to make the video. We went to Paddy’s Markets, bought a tripod and some new sunnies. Found an empty lane-way behind our mates’ house in Redfern. Set up the Iphone & tripod in four different spots in the laneway, played the song loud and hit record. We really wanted to focus on the raw energy of the song, rather than high production or a big narrative. Let the song tell the story I suppose.
We wanted the video to emulate the track, which is gritty, raw, fiery and imperfect. As we were filming, we bumped into some kids in the laneway who were up to some mischief and got them to be part of the clip, which was pretty fitting.” LAHGO
Since their debut in 2022, LAHGO has been curating a space that is defined by anthemic, cathartic music that translates as well live as it does on record.
A fusion of indie, garage rock, and fearless melodies and swells, LAHGO’s music has led to sold out shows at venues including The Lansdowne and Mary’s Underground in Sydney; while also supporting the likes of Don West, The Terrys and Thirsty Merc, to name a few.
LAHGO’s music has courted the attention of Australian tastemakers, with their sound landing strong airplay on community radio (2ser, FBi Radio) as it has with triple j and Triple J Unearthed.
Featured on Spotify playlists including Local Noise, The Local List and TURN UP AUS, it’s evident that the hunger for LAHGO only continues to grow with each release – with over 27,000 monthly listeners on the platform, the band is wasting no time in captalising on the momentum this year.
To celebrate the release of ‘Bitter’, the band will be heading up the coast for a string of shows in Byron Bay, Freshwater, Sydney and Newcastle.
“We’re heading to Byron, Freshwater, Marrickville & Newcastle next week to celebrate the new single. We’ve never played in these cities before (except Marrickville – our hometown!), so we’re super stoked to get there and show them who and what we’re all about! The last time I was at Beach Hotel Byron, I saw Wolfmother & Jet play in early 2020 for a Bushfire Fundraiser, so I’m pretty chuffed to play the same stage as some Aussie icons.” MEL BAILEY, LAHGO
Thursday May 29 Beach Hotel Byron Bay NSW Friday May 30 Harbord Hotel Freshwater NSW Saturday May 31 Vic On The Park Marrickville, NSW Sunday June 1 King Street Hotel Newcastle, NSW
