Portland, Oregon’s Tim Howe, the consistent voice behind the formidable sound of Vista House, has been tinkering amongst the alternative reserves for some time now, writing under the project name since the mid 2010’s. As an ode to story telling, lost amongst intuition and grace, Howe and co. return with a reverie of hindsight as the past finally catches up to us on their new single, “Change the Framerate (Gloria)”, premiering here on the ugly hug.

Singing the praises of the jangly power pop connoisseurs and southern rock romantics alike, “Change the Framerate (Gloria)” wastes no time falling into a driving heap of sound, the instrumentation holding on tight to each beat as Howe and co. take off into a roots rock ripper. With sharply observed wording and a type of infliction that pushes towards a more conversational delivery, lines like “One day I’m gonna think of my life as a plant or a joke or a cinema screen,” rattle with both humor and slight unease, as Howe picks apart the very mundane that revolves around the fear of what our existence may become. The track finds its closing with a rushing melody, a sense of pop genius, as Vista House rejoices the bookends – “You’ll be turned into dust like the dust where you’re from / The Big Bull City ain’t so bad anymore”.

About the single, Howe shared in a statement, “Change the Framerate” meanders through the life of Gloria, running through memories of her time in the Bull City (Durham, NC) via hold picture books and DVDs.” 

You can listen to “Change the Framerate (Gloria)” premiering here on the ugly hug!

“Change the Framerate (Gloria)” marks the second track shared from Vista House’s upcoming record, They’ll See Light, out November 22, following the single “A Seat Behind the Wing” released earlier this month. You can preorder the album here as well as a screen printed cassette made by Anything Bagel Records.

Written by Shea Roney | Featured Photo by hsreagan