Kimmi Bitter
BITTERSWEET
Artist: Kimmi Bitter
New Album: Bittersweet
Release Date: July 24, 2026
Countrypolitan • Surf-Twang • 60s-inspired Americana
Artist Bio
Kimmi Bitter is a California-based singer and songwriter reviving the golden era of Countrypolitan through a West Coast lens. Her blend of 1960s Nashville polish, surf-soaked guitar tones, and mod aesthetics has earned her a devoted following across the country.
Following the success of her debut album "Old School”, a Top 25 album on the Americana Radio Charts, a four-time winner and eight-time award nominee, Bitter returns with a new collection that expands her vintage vision into widescreen color. Reimagining classic country, her velvety vocals and emotional precision have led critics to call her “the future of classic country,” positioning her as a defining voice in the genre’s modern revival.
Album Overview
BITTERSWEET is a sun-faded West Coast Countrypolitan record inspired by Pacific coastlines, Palm Springs glamour, and the psychedelic desert haze of the 1960s. Across its twelve tracks, the album weaves orchestral arrangements, twangy surf guitars, and evocative storytelling into a sound that is both timeless and transportive.
Two-sided in nature, the album moves between breezy Countrypolitan warmth and desert noir twilight, capturing themes of longing, reinvention, and the dream-like pull of the California sun. The result is Bitter’s signature sound at its most defined yet—romantic, cinematic, and drenched in technicolor nostalgia that is unmistakably her own.
RIYL: Patsy Cline • Les Paul & Mary Ford • Nancy Sinatra • Duane Eddy
Key Tracks
“Over You”
This dreamy countrypolitan ballad showcases Bitter’s velvety vocal tone with hints of bluesy guitar riffs and sweeping pedal steel.
“Return My Stolen Heart”
With heartbreak at its core, this 1962-style country crooner blends mariachi accents with a tropical undercurrent.
“More, More, More”
Charming mid-tempo rockabilly tune pulsing with vintage pop energy. Jordanaires-style harmonies meet Duane Eddy-influenced guitar tones in this playful ode to wanting just a little more love.
“Don’t Talk To Strangers”
Dripping with noir glamour, this track feels like it could slip seamlessly onto a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. A minor-key blend of bossa nova, sultry vocals, and desert-psych textures.
Track Listing
(expand for track credits)
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Written by Michael Gurley
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar Michael Gurley
Upright Bass Ben Neal
Tack Bass Willis Farnsworth
Drums Phil Pardel
String Arrangements by David Hernandez, Mic Ferrante, and Michael Gurley and performed by the Budapest Orchestra
Piano John Bosewell
Mellotron Celeste Willis Farnsworth
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Written by Michael Gurley, Kimmi Bitter
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar 1 Willis Farnsworth
Electric Guitar 2 Michael Gurley
Acoustic Guitar Michael Gurley
Bass Ben Neal
Drums Phil Pardel
Backing Vocals Michael Gurley, Willis Farnsworth
Mellotron Celeste Willis Farnsworth
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Written by Michael Gurley
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar Willis Farnsworth
Acoustic Guitar Michael Gurley
Bass Ben Neal
Trumpet Zach Ramacier
Drums Phil Pardel
Pedal Steel Chris Lawrence
Mellotron Mirimbas Willis Farnsworth
Harpsichord Matt Jensen
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Written by Michael Gurley, Kimmi Bitter
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar 1 Michael Gurley
Electric Guitar 2 Willis Farnsworth
Bass Ben Neal
Drums, Triangle Phil Pardel
Mellotron Vibraphone Willis Farnsworth
-
Written by Michael Gurley, Kimmi Bitter
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar Michael Gurley
Acoustic Guitar Michael Gurley
Bass Ben Neal
Drums Phil Pardel
Pedal Steel Chris Lawrence
Harmonica Scott Gordon
Backing Vocals Michael Gurley
-
Written by Michael Gurley
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar Michael Gurley
Bass Ben Neal
Drums Phil Pardel
-
Written by Kimmi Bitter
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar Willis Farnsworth
Pedal Steel Chris Lawrence
Bass Ben Neal
Drums Phil Pardel
Ukelele Michael Gurley
Mellotron Mirimbas Willis Farnsworth
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Written by Willis Farnsworth, Michael Gurley
Electric Guitar Willis Farnsworth
Bass Ben Neal
Saxophone [XX?]
Drums, Vibraslap, Tamborine Phil Pardel
-
Written by Kimmi Bitter
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar Willis Farnsworth
Bass Ben Neal
Drums Phil Pardel
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Written by Michael Gurley
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar 1 Willis Farnsworth
Electric Guitar 2 Michael Gurley
Bass Ben Neal
Drums, Percussion Phil Pardel
Pedal Steel Chris Lawrence
Piano John Bosewell
Backing Vocals Michael Gurley
Mellotron Vibraphone Matt Jensen
-
Written by Kimmi Bitter
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar 1 Willis Farnsworth
Electric Guitar 2 Michael Gurley
Bass Ben Neal
Drums Phil Pardel
Backing Vocals Michael Gurley
-
Written by Michael Gurley
Vocals Kimmi Bitter
Electric Guitar Willis Farnsworth
String Arrangements by David Hernandez and Mic Ferrante and performed by the Budapest Orchestra
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All Songs Written by: Kimmi Bitter & Michael Gurley
Produced by: Michael Gurley
Recorded at: Eastlake Los Angeles
Engineered by: Enoch Jensen
Mixed by: Enoch Jensen & Michael Gurley
Mastered by: [Mastering Engineer Name]
Cover Photography: Willis Farnsworth
Album Artwork & Layout: Kimmi Bitter & Jamee Hanson
Label: Independent Release — Kimmi Bitter Music
© 2026 All Rights Reserved
Video
Critical Acclaim
Career Highlights
Top 25 Americana Radio Album “Old School” (2024)
Top 40 Americana Radio Single “My Grass is Blue” (2024)
4-time winner, 9-time nominated San Diego Music Award artist
National touring artist
Shared stages with Eilen Jewell, The Old 97’s, Emily Nenni, The Cactus Blossoms
“Biggest Artist Takeaway” from SXSW and Americanafest (2025)
Press Quotes
“The future of classic country is Kimmi Bitter” - Saving Country Music
“Bitter possesses a smooth, polished vocal that unmistakably draws comparisons to the late Patsy Cline.” - Billboard
“The ghost of Patsy Cline has come to visit us in the form of Kimmi Bitter - the best, young, country singer I've heard in a long, long, long time” - Blogger Rhythms