Much like many other terms in music, the concept of “DIY” has become watered down and overused. Although there is still some semblance of it in modern music, the definition has changed. Rather than describing self-funded efforts to push your music out to as many people as possible, DIY has become a term associated with label-backed bedroom artists recording on their expensive MacBook. Not taking anything from these artists, but it’s important to remember that DIY once meant building your art from the ground up. Thankfully, Ohio-bred, genre-blurring outfit Moviola is keeping the spirit of DIY ethos alive.
Over ten albums and thirty years, the warping five-piece has established a singular sound that can be manipulated into fuzzed-out pop and soaring, twangy soul. Moviola records their music themselves, in hardcrafted studios put together by the band, a true modern marvel of nostalgic DIY. With no eye watching over their every sonic move, the footprints Moviola leaves in the sands of contemporary music are irregular yet miraculously connected via authentic lyrics and undeniable individuality. Even after thirty years of recording and releasing music, Moviola continues to find ways to reinvent itself, and its latest era is set to begin shortly.
Glide is premiering “Long Gone,” the latest single from Moviola’s eleventh LP, Earthbound, set to be released on August 29. The new single finds the band occupying a space between genres, with a rootsy arrangement that acts as a canvas for folksy songwriting delivered via ruggedly soulful vocals. Artists like Meat Puppets, rivin N Cryin and Tyler Childers are reflecting in this impressionalbe track.
“‘Long Gone’ is about knowing you should change your ways, but bowing to long-standing habits one develops with long-time friends and family,” explains Moviola member Ted Hattemer. The sentiment shines through lyrically, as the vocals grapple with harsh realities, while the arrangement, with all its jagged infectiousness, acts as a rude awakening that brings those realities before our eyes.
Pre-order Earthbound here.
