MOUTH CULTURE REFUSES TO MUFFLE MISTAKES WITH NEW SINGLE ‘PICKING WINGS OFF A BUTTERFLY’
With their newest anthem “Picking Wings Off A Butterfly,” Mouth Culture continues to raise their voice and make their presence known in the music scene. The track is an honest exploration of the self-reflection and guilt that come with vandalizing something, or someone, beautiful. With raw confessional lyrics and ground-shaking instrumentals, it’s a song that evokes internal contemplation while also making listeners want to get up and dance their troubles away.
Since their start in 2018, the Leicester trio — Jack Voss (lead singer), Mason Clifford (guitarist) and Todd Groome (bassist) — have created a brand of alt-rock that pays homage to their nostalgic musical inspirations while still being daring and fresh. Their many years of living together bleed through as they naturally intertwine their respective vocal and instrumental talents. This brotherly bond only makes Mouth Culture’s music more accessible. Just by listening to one song you feel as though you are part of their own little community, their newest single being no exception.
Drawing in listeners within the first second, Voss’ bare vocals and Clifford’s lone electric guitar effortlessly align to kick off the track. Voss has continuously proven his skills as a vocalist, yet he still manages to leave the listener in awe. His vocal intuition shines through, knowing exactly when to smoothen his voice and when to rough it up with his raspy anger. It’s that instinctive control that adds a live quality, making it feel as though the song was recorded in a single take.
Graphic by Rosi Martens (Crave Music Magazine)
The lyrics are brutally open as Voss belts admissions that the listener may feel too intimidated to confess — even to themselves. He unapologetically calls out an exposing fact within the chorus, “You say you hurt the ones you love the most, but it still don’t make it right.” It’s an emotional, yet effective callback to the song’s theme, highlighting the humbling process of owning up to one’s mistakes while grappling with emotional unavailability. There is an uncomfortable back-and-forth that comes with the fearful hesitation of being emotionally honest — “I’ve been dying to tell you just where I wanna go with this, but I’m incompetent in confidence now” — and the almost tangible shame of chiseling away at someone precious. This notion is poetically symbolized in the imagery and title of the song: “Picking Wings Off A Butterfly.”
When it comes to production and instrumental exploration, there is always the possibility of falling into the trap of adding too much and overwhelming the song. Mouth Culture, however, always manages to swerve past this trap with ease. In this track specifically, the band manages to add detail without clutter. Instead of overpowering the song, they empower it. The background verses are an echoic addition that provide the feeling of Voss’ internal monologue: “I doubt it” and “Lesson I never learn.” This only heightens the listener’s connection to the song itself and the story it’s telling.
Moving from restrained confessions in the verses to a pounding intensity in the chorus, every bang of the drums is drenched in whatever emotion Voss is portraying. Even with the distinct up-note of the electric guitar spread throughout and ending the song, it’s a subtle detail that feels like the musical personification of a question. In this case, the many questions that pop up in one’s mind after realizing the wreckage they caused. As the listener hits the last chorus, the slight melodic changes in Voss’ voice are a seat-gripping feature that sticks with you long after the song hits its final guitar note.
“Picking Wings Off A Butterfly” is a passionate yet controlled track, where Voss’ vocals convey the message of self-sabotage and emotional carelessness through his seamless shifts between fragile honesty and gravelly frustration. With airy harmonies, conversational backing lines, and swelling drums, Mouth Culture delivers yet another intimately powerful track that makes even your most hidden self feel seen.
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