Ivy Sole finds joy in the struggle on “Bittersweet”

Charlotte-born, Philly-based rapper Ivy Sole returns this month with a new single that meditates on the movement for Black lives, on centuries of injustice, and on the complexity of processing moments of personal joy that appear in the fray.

Ivy Sole came on the scene back in 2016 with the Eden mixtape, followed the next year by two companion EPs titled East and West which combined dreamlike beat tapestries with introspective lyrics about mental health. Her stellar LP Overgrown was one of The Key’s 20 albums you shouldn’t overlook in 2018, and this is her first release since.

On the new song, based around a midtempo psychedelic soul beat in the vein of Tyler, The Creator, Ivy Sole spends the song’s first half reflecting on Black folks’ resilience in the face of racism and oppression, with lyrical allusions overseers and slaves, Black codes and tax codes.

The song’s second half, though, turns to love and desire, finding that perfect connection with another person and getting swept away in it, and the liberation that can be found within: “golden flying where the doves should be / I think freedom might be you loving me / but I don’t want it if it’s bittersweet.”

As we hear in those last lines, moments of solace can’t distract from the fight, and as Ivy says on the hook, “it’s abolition or bust, you gotta trust me.” Listen to “Bittersweet” below, and buy it on Bandcamp for fee-free Friday; a new music video is on the way for the song as well, and a teaser can be seen there as well.