The Bitter Southerner

12/21/2024

SO HERE WE GO . . .

Oof, this might be a tough one, y’all. No need to describe why. We all know.

About the next two weeks … Some of us will hang solo keeping the lights low, some of us will totally throw ourselves into it and some of us, well, we’ll land somewhere in the middle.

So check on your people. Be good to yourself. Know you are loved by your friends at The Bitter Southerner, and that we’re with you.

Also: We’re taking time off for the holidays. 🙏🏽 We need it! See you back here in January.

Important: GLORIOUS ILLUSTRATION: by one of our very favorites, the one and only .

12/19/2024

ITS BEEN A MINUTE (more like years) since we asked you about YOU. Lord, so much has happened in this crazy world since we last did a reader survey. Anyway ... we hope you agree, it’s time for a proper catch up.

So find that link in our profile & spin through our questions. It’s super easy and should only take you a few minutes.

THANK YOU for your help. We can’t wait to read your answers. As a thank you, when you complete the survey, we’ll give you a code for 30% off anything in our store. You can use it anytime in the next three months.

Big big love & thanks,
Team Bitter Southerner 🎯🙏🏽✔️

the link : https://form.typeform.com/to/zmr131Bw

12/17/2024

2024 was a banner year for incredible storytelling and we were honored to work with some of ( and this is not exaggeration ) the greatest writers of our time.

This Best Stories list is perfect for perusing on long days of travel, nighttime wind-downs or during a few stolen moments of peace upstairs away from the hustle and bustle. Over the holidays, we hope you find the time and space to dig in.

12/16/2024

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES : 1) Our friend 2) captured by with 3) ’s new book THE CROP CYCLE.

30% off today when you use code HOLLYJOLLY.

12/16/2024

LAST CALL Y’ALL: order TODAY for best chance to receive by 12/24. Code HOLLYJOLLY for 30% off.

12/15/2024

THIS IS MAJOR.

Everything in our store is 30% off.

Spend $75 + and get free shipping.

Order NOW for best chance to receive by 12/24.

Use code HOLLYJOLLY

12/14/2024

Under sooooo many trees this year. Thank you, everyone!

12/14/2024

NUMBER 18 ON OUR LIST

#18 MY STUPID LIFE

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Favorite Track: “First Car Feeling”

Brittney Spencer’s My Stupid Life is a feel-good, contemporary country album with hints of pop and jazz that highlight her incredible vocal talent. It’s a mix of nostalgia, independence, and hopeless romantic feelings that make it feel like you’re listening in on her conversations with herself. Spencer pays homage to country greats on “Bigger Than the Song” but her subtle, unapologetic feminist energy makes this album all her own. It’s all about sticking with your girls, protecting your peace, and paying no mind to what people say about your emotions; just feel them. “I Got Time” and “First Car Feeling” are rearing, groovy anthems, while “My First Rodeo” and “The Last Time” are sweet, daydreamy love letters. Her album debut is equal parts intimate and polished—a vulnerable project that makes you feel like she’s singing directly to you.

I wear my heart on my jaded sleeve / Roll down my window and roll my w**d / I play the songs that I wanna play / I say what I wanna say – “My Stupid Life”

12/13/2024

Holiday shopping ( 25% off !! ) with zero traffic. 😊

12/13/2024

TRAFFIC RIGHT NOW 👹 : who can relate?

We were on I-20 (in Atlanta) on Wednesday literally praying we would make it home alive.

Is the worst traffic in the ATL? Is traffic worse during the holidays?

12/13/2024

12/13/2024

Got yours yet?

12/13/2024

It really is.

12/12/2024

Noticed anything different about our list this year? Link to read ( and listen ) in profile. Enjoy!

12/12/2024

NUMBER 11 ON OUR LIST

#11 OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM

Home: Nashville, Tennessee
Favorite Track: “I’d Miss the Birds”

Joy Oladokun’s Observations from a Crowded Room feels like a deep exhale after holding it together for way too long. Blending folk, pop, gospel, and touches of R&B, it’s smooth and meditative but still knows how to groove. Oladokun explores the exhaustion of constantly pushing through—fitting into spaces where you don’t feel welcome, balancing faith, family, substances, and the endless weight of vulnerability. The album opener “Letter from a Blackbird” is written like a reflective contemporary response to the iconic Beatles’ track. “Flowers” and “Good Enough” are gentle, acoustic, and sweet, offering moments of quiet reflection. In contrast, “Hollywood” and “Drugs” hit harder—raw, intense, and emotionally charged, capturing the ache of navigating a life that drains you. Spoken word interludes from herself and her family add an intimate layer, like you’re eavesdropping on their world. It’s an album about being tired but honest, creating something beautiful even when you’re at your limit.

You did the best with the cards in your hand / Weight of the world on your shoulders / I see it all with more grace looking back / Lessons you learn when you’re older– “Good Enough”

12/12/2024

NUMBER 10 ON OUR LIST

#10 WEIRD FAITH

Home: Nashville, Tennessee
Favorite Track: “Girlfriend”

Madi Diaz’s Weird Faith feels like cracking open someone’s diary and reading the messiest, most unfiltered pages. The lyrics are blunt, intimate, and shift moods so quickly it’s almost hard to keep up, but that’s what makes it so painfully relatable. Diaz has created an undeniably pretty album, with soft sweet acoustic guitar and stunningly clear vocals throughout. The album hones in on the early stages of a relationship, when you’re spiraling over whether you can trust them yet: Will they show up for you? Will you show up for yourself? “Girlfriend” is a standout, digging into the weird obsession we have with our partner’s exes. They’re gorgeous, fascinating, and cool enough to be your friend, which makes it all the more terrifying that they could steal your partner back. Tracks like “Hurting You” and the Kacey Musgraves duet “Don’t Do Me Good” are slow and syrupy, while “Obsessive Thoughts” and “Worst Case Scenario” explode with raw, chaotic energy.

I’m not a God person, but I’m never not searching / Looking at the sky, staring at the ocean / If there’s something to know, then I wanna know it / I wanna hold it, I wanna feel it / And maybe I can’t say that I’m not a God person – “God Person”

12/11/2024

Y’ALL : ooof, the GREAT has always always ALWAYS been on our list, and somehow, someway, in our final edits, a random accidental google doc edit was made and none of us caught it. We love Gloria Hallelujah Woods SO much. Thus, our LET HER COOK theme this year.

Good Lord, it has been a year and we obviously need a vacation ( 🙃 ) Making the list right this morning. You’ll see her on there soon. Thank you to everyone who commented. We love y’all.