The Levity that is the titular motif of Bitter Blue’s latest EP is found, throughout the work, in a sundry of locations, effects, and appeals, if you will. It exists most prominently, perhaps, in lead singer Luka Nikolic’s voice, as his silky falsetto wraps around at least a passage or two of most, but not quite all, of the songs.

It’s found in the subject matter of some of the tunes, like in the leadoff “Someone Better”. By far the most accessible, if not outright pop-oriented of the tracks, “Better” is unabashedly feel good music. It clocks in at close to 110 BPM, has a winning rhythm guitar that makes the verses sound something cool, and simply exudes good vibes. “When I’m with you I just want to be someone better than I ever thought I could ever be,” Nikolic croons with a cogency that none listening would readily dispute.

Still, the most profound display of levity found on this Extended Player surely is attributed to the guitar work. Not all of it is as playful and lighthearted as on “Better”. But there’s no mistaking the ethereal, otherworldly appeal of the tubed guitar riffs that are the foundations of “Flare” and “What Are You”, respectively. They produce a spellbinding effect, the sort of thing that could hypnotize an entire audience or physical space with the right ambience pervading about the room.

They certainly have the effect of elevating the scope of the instrumentation on display of this outing, which is already formidable to begin with. And, most importantly, such guitar playing provides the backdrop for Nikolic to dip through a number of styles that extend the ground he covers in just five songs.

As it turns out, the guitar on “Flare” rivals the rhythm guitar on “Better”. The former would likely be sampled by other producers were it not so central to this cut, and still might be, in spite of that fact. But with the whirling, spiraling effected guitar, Nikolic comes with a choice melody that propels the number towards the best of the bunch.

“Sentinel” is in the running for that distinction as well. It’s another up tempo affair driven, this time, by the singer’s high notes. For a lesser band, the song writing and lead vocalist’s penchant for pleasing melodies could have been overlooked by the surrounding instrumentation. But on “Sentinel”, as is the case for the rest of the EP, Bitter Blue finds the right balance between both to create music that’s attractive, edgy, and fun.