[Cover photo credit to Bob Greco]

Brooklyn, NY-based Rock collective Ista have announced the arrival of their new album, In Sound To All, out now. Recorded with longtime Producer Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Rhett Miller, Curtis Harding), In Sound To All includes the synthy Funk song “Crusher,” joined today by a 70’s inspired video shot on location on California’s Catalina Island by director Erez Horovitz (Fruit Bats, Josh Ritter, Yellowbirds).

Ista singer and guitarist Rex Costello says:

I don’t remember a ton about how this one came about other than that I became acutely focused on creating the synth sound that would become the main riff of the choruses. I was so imbued with the moment of creating it on Moog that to this day I haven’t been able to remember how to reproduce the sound, so when it came to record with Sam, we ended up sampling those parts from the demo, then proceeded to add all the fuzzy bass and guitars on top. It sat as a funny demo idea for around three years before we actually considered turning it into an ISTA song and adding it to the new record. Lyrically, I think the mantra and message of the song is the chorus, ‘Love is the fear crusher.’

Erez Horovitz says about the video:

I don’t know if Rex watched Night Moves like I told him to, but his mustache reminds me of Gene Hackman, and the way he stalks – he’s a natural shamus. Maybe that’s why this shoot felt the way it did. To be frank, making a video on an island comes with its frustrations, but I can’t imagine doing it anywhere but Catalina. The place is a mystery in itself.

Founded in 2019 by West Coast transplants Rex Costello (vocals, guitar) and Oliver Hart (guitar), what began as a Brooklyn studio project soon morphed into a full-fledged band rounded out by Evan Eubanks (drums), Diona West (bass, vocals), Chloe Golding (keys, backing vocals), and Dan Rico (guitar) along with an ever-evolving cast of additional musicians.