Label: Retrospect Records
Release Date: 29th May 2020
Rating: 6/10
“Fans of bands like The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club and Circa Waves need to check out Vistas if they haven’t already.”
Just as the sunny summer days are starting to get underway, indie trio Vistas have released their debut album Everything Changes in the End. Bubbling with Scottish charm, the music has a certain vitality that many artists repeatedly fail to clutch at. Bouncy lyrics, synth-guitar and 80s style forefront keyboard make for a consistently positive and upbeat album from start to finish. Don’t we all need a bit of positivity right now?
I’ve heard many a music snob dismiss this band as ‘teen indie’, but I feel that anyone who thinks they’re too cool for a bit of mood-lifting indie pop is anything but. Vistas never slow down the entire album, refusing to stop for breath and maintaining a chaotic energy throughout. A pulsating beat thumps dependably throughout the album, drawing on our natural inclinations to bounce limbs in time to the rhythm.
Animated pre-released singles ‘Tigerblood’ and ‘Retrospect’ make a reappearance on the album. This is the immediate catalyst for feelings of nostalgia: both are older songs that speak to pre-university life for me and, I’m sure, many other students. Fans of bands like The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club and Circa Waves need to check out Vistas if they haven’t already.
The songs speak of carefree teenage summers, ones that are not spent in the shadow of a looming pandemic. Though Vistas rarely differentiate from their trademark indie style, and this album is no exception, it works well for them. Although each song admittingly runs into the next, merging like the days of lockdown, they’re still the antithesis of boring and listless. Songs like ‘You and Me’, ‘Everything Changes in the End’ and ‘The Love You Give’ are ideal for blasting from a portable speaker at any six-person socially distanced garden party.
This trio has manifesting energy, which is certainly inescapable, if not a little overly familiar. The songs would have, tragically, been perfect for festivals and summer gigs but, hey, there’s always next year. Vistas treat us to continuous good vibes and cheerful beats. It’s the closest we’ll come to the briefest touch of normality this summer but, as the album doesn’t hesitate to remind us: Everything Changes in the End.
Words by Megan Johnson.
1st June 2020.
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