Mike Vitale confirms that Home truly is where the heart is with his latest single and video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A breezy Americana-laced pop ode to that special someone who makes everything better, the upbeat charmer is the first single from the L.A. indie singer-songwriter’s new album ϕ (Phi).
“ϕ is the Greek letter representing the Golden Ratio,” Vitale explains. “It is an irrational number that goes on forever, just like pi. But pi deals with the circumference of circles, whereas ϕ deals with spirals, and can be found in much of life we see around us. The way leaves organize the spread of their leaves for maximum sunlight to accomplish photosynthesis, for example, or the layout of a pinecone or a pineapple, which are also spirals, if you look closely. The Fibonacci Sequence is directly related to ϕ, as well as platonic solids. It is a mystery, written in math, and I adore concepts such as this.”
A labour of love that’s been in the works for several years, ϕ was sparked by a love story that grew into a collection of chapters on life’s teachings. While he pursued an Americana vibe on the album, truth be told, he simply fell in love with songwriting and aimed for an album that didn’t focus on any certain genre. But it did feature a cast of talented contributors. “I also have many talented friends who played on this album,” Vitale continues. “And, as a friend of mine said, ‘your songs are only as good as the people playing on them,’ which I believe to be true; I feel that a good producer tries to utilize their strengths in order to highlight the song. The song is king.”
Look no further than Home, an alt-roots gem whose sweet, simple and sincere sentiments were anything but simple to create. “Somewhat embarrassingly, or probably more accurately, just in time, I wrote the chorus of this song well over 10 years ago,” Vitale explains. “However, that is where the song stopped For the life of me, I had nothing more to provide to the contents of its possession. It had no walls, or interior in which to stretch one’s legs, or to relax comfortably on the couch and admire its inner being. It had no kitchen to create soul food. It had no bedroom to make love, and to rest a weary head — let alone two — and so it sat in my creative nexus, forgotten and alone, looking for a mate … No verses. No Pre-chorus. No body. No arms or hands to softly caress the listener. No legs to dance on. Nothing,.
“Finally, I moved to Los Angeles, and met a girl who became its muse. She provided inspiration that manifested several verses, and the verses reverberated — not off walls, or roof, or floor, but off of a person. People; they are home — more so than any bed in a room, in a floor plan, in a wooden house, on a block, in a neighbourhood, in a town or city — could ever be.”
Beyond the welcome mat of Home, each song on ϕ has its own specific story, bookended by Kathy’s Song, a love letter to a friend’s mother who lost her battle to ALS, and Younger Days, a love letter to Vitale’s wife. “It’s to my friends I have made throughout the years that lead parallel lives to my own,” he shares. “We grow together — yet, sometimes we also grow apart — and our perpendicular intersections of life experience are special. However, nothing is more sacred than the present moment. Now is when we choose to be the best version of ourselves.”
Watch Home above, listen to ϕ below, and meet Mike Vitale at his website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
