‘True’ by Ista
Exclusive video premiere of ‘True’ by Ista.
Ista is the sonic love child of Rex Costello, Oliver Hart, Diona West, Evan Eubanks, and Theadora Curtis along with producer Sam Cohen. An eclectic brew of energetic, lust-for-life, heartwarming, harmony-infused psychedelia, Ista is a rock and roll love bomb exploding In Sound To All.
‘True’ presents itself with an immediately likable forest of timbres and a pleasantly winding introduction. Ista has a vibing Them-Crooked-Vultures-meets-Jack-White synergy with a bold-faced and cheeky delivery.
Visually, the animation of ‘True’ is a compelling wash of textures and shapes… From Rolling-Stones-type mouths to triangular prisms, and eye-catching psychedelic hues of vivid purples and greens. It quickly becomes apparent that this piece is a work of art in multiple senses. At one point, what was once a geometric shape transforms into a hand…praying, ready to punch, giving thumbs up…and then we finally see a musician’s form.
In sound, Ista shares both their pleasure and their pain. Their unease is made palpable by layering dissonant vocals, forming a disconcerting, wonky tritone-like chord, and their joy is apparent in their upbeat magnetism.
“…Eyes pointed at me
Well take aim
Fire away…Hey!”
If the song ‘True’ was a person, that person would probably walk right up to a foe and say: Well, whaddaya you want from me? Haven’t you got your fill already? Here’s some more. Come on in closer, I dare you.
The animation shows us hand-drawn lines of squiggly amoebas, planets, and eyes, men shooting arrows, and dancing. The symbols and textures of ‘True’ encompass large swathes of life, giving us the sense that this song isn’t just about one scenario, but many.
Ista says “Take aim, fire away”…and I’ll dance with the arrows you sink into me.
The single is both mechanical and organic, sexy yet vengeful. And the theremin at the end is like a little Reynard, a fox we didn’t expect to see in this sonic woods. Its bright tone leads right into the final chorus ultimately resulting in a scrumptious, sassy, trippy, and resonant ending.
