Bitters and Distractions are an acoustic punk duo from Long Island, New York consisting of Jeremy Quitko and Travis Johnides.
Jeremy writes the lyrics to these songs from a perspective of looking back on his years of travelling. At one point, his journey led him to Colorado where he formed a band called We Glew with fellow musician Charles Jeffrey Fields.
After years of touring together, Jeremy decided to shift focus to teaching in 2005. Slowly he and Charlie drifted apart and lost touch. When Jeremy tried to reach out in 2017 he was met with accounts that no longer existed and numbers that were no longer in service.
His missing friend inspired him to revisit lyrics he had written so many years ago.
Travis spent much of the 2000’s touring with his band The Goodwill and playing shows with huge acts such as My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Taking Back Sunday.
The next phase of his life would lead him to form a DIY music duo with his sister. They went on to gain an independent fan base and even got 6,000+ downloads on their album.
At some point in 2017 when Jeremy was revisiting the lyrics he had let sit on the shelf, he decided to share them with his friend Travis. Immediately the two connected over the words and soon Travis had formed guitar parts and subsequently, songs with these almost-forgotten lyrics.
The duo’s new single is structured in the old school A/B format. These tracks make you feel like you’re at a college bonfire singing along with your friends. The nostalgia in these songs is infectious.
I certainly relate to lines like “losing your youth in your 30’s”, whether or not I want to.
The sing-song-y breakdowns take me back to the days of being at Bayside shows screaming the lyrics back at the stage.
I appreciate the simplicity of vocals and an acoustic guitar. Sometimes that’s all you need to convey emotion through your music. This is without a doubt one of those times.
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