Artist Close-Up: Vinegar Mother Grow In “Phases”

The pysch-soul quintet known as Vinegar Mother have created an album that sparkles with psychedelia and a call for respect. I think my fave quote is “It isn’t easy,” and I usually say that when discussing growth. For Vinegar Mother’s Phases, seeing yourself grow is trip thing.

From “Moon Tomb” to “Cecilia,” the quartet veil through mystical symbolism what it is to gain respect for yourself in relationships, goals, and image. They align their lyrics like storybooks on characters realizing it is okay to want better for yourself even if means you can no longer accept the lesser of the people you once loved. This is one of the hardest realizations you have to take on in your human journey, but Julia Zivic makes it feel easier.

There is a “Joss Stone” quality to Zivic’s voice that makes it smolder with old world sensibilities as she cosmically observes her universe. She maneuvers through her vocals like a master puppeteer; “marionetting” her notes to flick and flip like they are toys emulating humanity. It is a perfect dynamic considering that their music focuses on realizing your own power. Sometimes, we thing growing up is about “maturing”, as if getting older in age means something to your soul, but it is really about awakening.

A spirit has no age, but it does have capacity, and growing up is realizing how much capacity you have to do and be good. For Vinegar Mother, this comes in phases but the elaborate soundscapes of tracks like “Tired Tongue”, “Proximity”, and “Loner”, show that phases are meant to be long and vivid. They are not brief stints as much as decorative stretches, and Vinegar Mother’s capacity too see that makes them refreshing to the psychedelic scene. For More Information On Vinegar Mother Click Here.