It’s safe to say that 2018 has been a sensational year for alt-rock band VISTA.
Made up of Hope Vista and Greg Almeida, the duo recently completed their third US tour, titled The Bloodlust Tour, played a date of Vans Warped Tour, and supported Set It Off on three of their tour dates.
VISTA also released their most successful single to date in the form of ‘Witch Hunt’. Not only has the track racked up over 70,000 Spotify streams, but the music video is also currently in rotation in Journeys stores nationwide.
Now, VISTA are upping the ante with their explosive new single ‘Born For Blood’. Armed with their signature punchy sound, the track further cements their status as a thrilling band who are destined to be the name on everyone’s lips and the newest addition to your playlist.
We recently spoke to VISTA about their brand new single ‘Born For Blood’, the success of ‘Witch Hunt’, being on the road and more.
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Hi VISTA, welcome back to CelebMix! The last time we spoke to you was following the release of your Long Live EP last year – how have things been since then?
Hope: Wild. We’ve completed 3 US tours since, released “Witch Hunt,” put out a music video for it. We have a full team now, just started working on our next record. It’s kind of odd that “Long Live” only came out a little over a year ago; we’ve had the opportunity to grow in multiple directions and avenues; touring, branding, recording, team-wise, press. Our newest single is the final single from that “Long Live” era, so we’re about to close that chapter out and move on to the next, but it’s been an incredibly period of growth for us.
Greg: Hey guys! Thanks for having us back. Yeah I would definitely agree that this past year has been a crazy storm of work and good things, nothing to complain about. Long Live was a great stepping stone for all the work we’ve been able to accomplish now. And there’s still so much more to go!
Congratulations on your new single ‘Born For Blood’ – we love it! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song?
Hope: Thank you! Honestly, we did it from scratch in the studio. We didn’t go in with a concept, any potential lyrics, nothing like that. It was totally from scratch. I think we just wanted to keep exploring our genre and the elements that make up VISTA, define them a bit more but also continue to color outside of our own lines. It’s very much electronically infused alt rock with a punch. I think we kind of just wanted to create something uniquely empowering on this one and invigorate listeners.
Greg: So we basically just started messing around with some synth stuff, and built from there. I was sitting on the drum kit for the beginning parts of this song I remember – and it was a lot of fun to work on a song from that perspective first. I guess I had never done this before. So I’m really proud of all the drum tracking I did. Then when I moved on to guitars and bass and all the like – it really just tied the song together nicely. I think the general inspiration was just badassery.
What was the creative process like? How long did it take for the song to evolve from an idea to the final product?
Hope: I think we did this in 2 days? It didn’t take long. It definitely took a few hours to kickstart it, we were all really struggling at first to find a starting point. Once that was figured out though, it was super smooth sailing from there and the ideas to complete it just poured out.
Greg: This one was a slow roll at first but once we figured out the key elements of the song, it went great. But yeah, it was a solid two or three 8-hour days.
Do you have a standout lyric from the track?
Hope: “We’re the survivors” and “we’re nearly skin and bones” are very short lyrics, but they resonate the most for me. I have very cyclical moments where I feel like there’s nothing left of me, nothing left I can give.
Will there be a music video for ‘Born For Blood’? If so, what can we expect from it?
Hope: We will not have a music video for this track. We’d like to just give listeners some new content while we continue to work on our next record.
‘Born For Blood’ follows on from your previous single ‘Witch Hunt’, which has proven to be your most successful track to date. How would you describe the reaction to ‘Witch Hunt’?
Hope: Really, really strange. I personally don’t expect anything with any release; you have to work towards success. We’ve also always had a really tough time breaking the Spotify puzzle. But for “Witch Hunt,” I really don’t know what resonated with listeners, new and returning. It’s been odd, but humbling.
Greg: I’ve been feeling really good about the response from Witch Hunt, and I just want to keep going up with every release we have. So it’s just about learning what worked, and what didn’t work, and just preparing even better for next time.
The track is very relevant at this moment in time with the various accusations and allegations regarding people in the entertainment industry. Do you think that’s played a part in the popularity of the song?
Greg: It could be. Hey, if that’s what makes people vibe to the song, then that’s cool. If not, that’s also cool. We wrote it just to vent and convey what was on our minds/for the art, and if that’s what makes it mean something then I’m with it! I’m just thankful anyone wants to listen to us in general.
‘Witch Hunt’ is also in rotation in Journeys stores. That must be so surreal for you! Have you managed to catch it in store yet?
Hope: We haven’t gotten the chance to head over to the mall yet! But it’s so weird, everything is just weird.
Greg: I’ve had a few friends say they’ve seen it. I want to go in and watch it myself soon, just need to find the time!
Hope: Field trip!!!
Are you working on more new music such as an EP/album? If so, what can we expect from it?
Greg: We are working on new music. It’s hard to say what you can expect cause it’s so early on in the process. You can definitely expect it to be VISTA, If that means anything, haha. We will put every ounce of creativity we have into it, that’s for sure.
Following a few band changes over the years, it definitely feels that VISTA has now finally found its place. How would you describe the band dynamic now and how has it evolved over the years?
Greg: It’s gotten a lot easier to make most decisions. Hope and I understand a lot more about each other now than when we started out. And to be totally honest, we are still figuring out things about each other every day. This isn’t bad by any means. I guess it’s kind of like a “Rome wasn’t built in a day” kind of thing. But I definitely feel more solidified on what VISTA is now.
You’ve just finished your third US tour, The Bloodlust Tour. What’s your favourite memory from the tour?
Greg: One of my favorite memories was our off day in Kansas. It was just a beautiful, euphoric day. I don’t know why. I guess it’s when we really realized like “whoa – we are really far out here”. And it just kind of sunk in, on top of a really great day exploring nature and swimming in lakes and just hanging out.
Hope: Mine was definitely Kansas as well. I had a weird ‘a-ha’ type of moment out there. I was literally like…. We’re in Kansas. Who from the tri-state just ends up in Kansas on a day off??? It was the most beautiful state. So many nature preserves and just a fresh smell in the air, clean air. It was absolutely stunning.
You also got to play at a date on the Vans Warped Tour. How was that experience for you, considering it was the final run?
Greg: It was an absolute honor. There was a sense of finality in the air, but everyone had good vibes. There were so many people at the tour in general, and we promoted to a bunch of people and got a nice crowd for our set. We played the final set on the Full Stage on Long Island, that was also kind of an honor.
Hope: We really had a great day. It was a full circle-ish moment, because we were playing at home, but we were playing at Warped Tour. So there were a lot of people we knew, hundreds. But then there were thousands of people we didn’t know, which was also wild. It was a combination of playing to those we love and those we don’t know yet, which was refreshing. It was an honor to have been chosen to play.
You joined Set It Off on three tour dates later this month. How did this come about?
Hope: A good friend of ours knows their agent, and I just asked our friends if it was possible to ask their agent if we could join them on any dates!
What are your plans for the final third of the year?
Greg: Nothing to formally announce yet, but we are working on stuff! Besides that, we are definitely trying to keep the grind on working on new music.
Thank you to VISTA for their time. Keep up to date with them via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and their website. You can also follow Hope on Twitter and Instagram, and Greg on Twitter and Instagram.
‘Born For Blood’ is out now.