Written Maria Arroyo
Scotland’s own indie-pop band, VISTAS, shares their debut sharing their debut album, Everything Changes In The End! The Edinburgh-based group is made up of Prentice Robertson (vocals), Dylan Rush (guitars), and Jamie Law (bass).
Inspired by the indie bands of the 2000s, VISTAS sets to “push the excitement and community spirit of the genre into the new era.”
The three musicians went to school together, created the band, and have become extremely close-knit, as they share their love of community and togetherness that VISTAS says “defines their music.”
“The sentiment of the record is about being there for your family and friends,” Robertson says. “It’s about being there for people, and the overall feeling that stuff takes a bit of time to work itself out, and takes a bit of time to get better. There are things you’ve got to deal with, but it’s easier to deal with these things if you’ve got people there alongside you, and then you can be there for people as well…” The relatability in their interpretation of the album alone is what pulls me closer to their music as I took a dive through the record.
VISTAS begin their album out with a short instrumental build into their next track, “Everything Changes In The End,” which just cranks the excitement all the way to 10! The song has this intense and infectious energy that gives listeners just a small taste of what this album has created.
“Teenage Blues” keeps the energy high and makes me want to jump right out of my couch and dance around my apartment without a care in the world.
Their next songs “15 Years” and “Sucker” continue to explode energy and free-spiritedness, while also have lyrics that listeners can relate to. Listening to these songs, “Sucker” in particular, kept a smile on my face from beginning to end. There’s something about their music that makes you unplug from your problems and frustrations, and allows you to enjoy the music for what it is, and having a damn good time while doing it.
This next song “Tigerblood” became drastically different compared to the others but in a familiar way. Their relatable lyrics and catchy melodies stayed intact, but they changed their approach which gave them an edgier side. The dirtied guitar effects and the grit behind the vocals gave the album the exact change it needed, without going overboard. “This was our first song that really connected on radio and playlists,” the band explains, and honestly, I can see why.
“The Love You Give” is a personal favorite of mine. Musically, it was more diverse than the others because of the different rhythmic patterns and melodic structure in the lead vocals. The same can be said for “Sentimental” as they also use this song to discover different musical ideas to bring to life.
The biggest turning point for the album is “Retrospect” without a doubt. “‘Retrospect’ was the first song that we put out that people started to learn the words to,” VISTAS explains. “Both ‘Tigerblood’ and ‘Retrospect’ were “set to provide as the backbone of [VISTAS] debut album.”
This song is refreshing and fun, and they finally dive into different places vocally. There’s more risk in this song, more diversity than any other song on the album because there are so many times that the differences this song had, makes it stand out above the rest.
“November” became a fun ending to an already spectacular album. It was the perfect mix of nostalgia and reminiscing on good times with relatable content and songs that will hopefully last for a long time.
While we feel our summer slipping past us, Everything Changes In The End definitely brought it back to me. It’s the perfect amount of fun and carefree, with so many relatable topics sprinkled throughout the album. The timing of the album couldn’t be more perfect, and I hope they became as big here, if not bigger, than what they are overseas. “VISTAS is looking to make the circle complete and inspire a whole new generation…” and if they keep in the direction they’re going, I have no doubt we, as a community, will get to see it unfold.
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