Vistas, What Were You Hoping To Find?
Retrospect Records
The sunny indie crowd need to be taking notes from Vistas. Those festival favourites – your Circa Waves, your Sea Girls, your singalong favourites, the ones you know are always worth catching because they’re so consistent with that happy buzzy summer vibe. Vistas broke into the gang firmly with last year’s debut album Everything Changes In The End, and on this summer’s What Were You Hoping To Find? they’ve surged on and broadened their sound to fit the growing crowds they’re playing for.
Vistas have long been nailing the lighthearted guitar tunes niche – it’s near impossible not to feel the corners of your mouth itching to break into a big grin when you stick on the likes of 15 Years, or anything off ECITE, in fact. And lots of WWYHTF? follows suit – in the groove of Upside, just made to get a crowd on their feet, the breezy melodies of early single Stuck In Your Head and Start Again, and so much of the record, it’s clear that Vistas are masters of striking the balance between big old gang vocal explosions and comparatively stripped-back sections that leave the focus on their unfailingly bright hooks.
The progression of What Were You Hoping To Find? is definitely in the moments where Vistas let a more melancholy moment peep through – and there’s definitely a few clouds in this blue sky. Feels Like Falling boasts one of the album’s most expansive moments, with an intro that starts gently then skyrockets into, dare we say, Vistas’s most anthemic tune yet? The guitars totally soar, and they’re set against lyrics that are play up the introspection that Vistas have always leant into. It’s optimistic still, but it’s real and reflective too – and that’s what makes it a truly cathartic moment as powerful as Vistas have ever delivered. They aptly prepared us for this kind of contrast in the likes of Young Forever, another cut that’s sonically bright and lyrically a little darker.
What Were You Hoping To Find? lives up to its title – Vistas know what we love about them, and they’re doing it better than ever. It’s not pushing the boundaries too far, but it’s doing its job faultlessly – and we just know it’s going to be euphoric to catch live, arms around strangers yelling along to every word.
What Were You Hoping To Find? is out this Friday.
