Vistas Tell Us What It Means to Be Human With ‘Bad Idea’

Scottish indie band Vistas have released the latest single for their upcoming album ‘Is This All We Are?’ and it does not disappoint. ‘Bad Idea’ is your classic indie banger that works for both sunshine days and rainy nights. 

Vocalist Prentice Robertson sings about feelings of struggle and bargaining in a relationship that relates to every single person on the planet, which is what makes this song so special. 

The lyric “Why am I here?” is the infinitely unanswerable question that floats around in everybody’s minds; it is comforting to hear that someone else is experiencing the same process of thought. 

The track begins with a mini crescendo into the electric guitar riffs, sliding the listener gently into the song. The verses proceed to welcome the listener with stripped-back percussion and warm electric guitar riffs, gently and rhythmically complimenting Robertson’s soft vocals, basically, everything one would expect from a summer indie tune for those days leading into autumn. 

A little melodic tune from the keyboards goes alongside the guitar and drums, creating a lullaby effect within the song, definitely telling the listener that this is night-time, and the perspective of the song is written from their bed. The song is all about wondering whether to talk to someone else in the storyline, like this is a common re-occurrence for the narrator when they’re trying to sleep. The song is essentially a late-night thought, something that children, teenagers, and adults everywhere can associate with, it’s a part of being human. Comfort is created in the listener when they realise that this is natural, and even cool band members like Robertson experience it. 

The bridge greets the listener with a mini breakdown which is very unexpected as the song leads one to believe that it will continue with the same pace, but there is almost a ‘pause it, play it’ situation going on, like it’s a record having its speed changed over and over, creating this relentless feeling, like this thought is never going away, but also a warm nostalgia to using record players and tapes. Vistas have an overall nostalgic feel to them and always have done, so this manipulation of timing is perfect for the atmosphere of this song. 

I think it is safe to say Vistas fans everywhere are excited to see what else this album has to offer when it is released in September. ‘Bad Idea’ perfectly sums up what it means to feel and be human; what else does this album have to offer?

Izzi Glover

@izziglover / @izzigloverphotography

Image: ‘Bad Idea’ Official Single Cover