April + VISTA Command Attention with Brilliant New Single “Grotto” Out Now via Third & Hayden
Photo by Foster K. White
April + VISTA — the genre-blurring duo of Virginia-raised singer and composer April George and Maryland-raised composer and producer Matthew Thompson — return with their new single, “Grotto,” out now via Third & Hayden. The track marks their first release of 2026 and follows last year’s “Bless My Heart” and “Love Unspent,” further advancing the duo’s signature balance of experimentation and emotional clarity.
Cultivated within Washington, DC’s underground music scene and sharpened on tour with Little Dragon (with whom they created the 2023 collaborative EP Slipping Into Color), Mura Masa, and Little Simz, April + VISTA have developed a sound that resists categorization. Across their recent run of singles, they seamlessly weave soul, rock, electronic, and R&B into a fluid sonic language that prioritizes texture, atmosphere, and feeling over genre constraints — music that feels immersive and deeply human.
Speaking on “Grotto,” the duo explain:
After completing Pit of My Dreams (EP, 2021), we found ourselves at a crossroads. The pandemic forced us to be still after years of pushing and we found ourselves looking for comfort and reassurance that we’re on the right track. Rejecting projections of doubt from others and standing firm in the belief that you’re enough on your own brings you closer to that kind of reassurance. This song bloomed from that realization.”
Formed in Washington, DC in 2014, George and Thompson connected through a shared creative language rooted in curiosity, experimentation, and emotional candor. Their breakthrough arrived with 2018’s You Are Here, which led to a COLORS performance of “FOMO” and praise from BBC Radio 1Xtra, The FADER, and others.
Committed to autonomy in both recording and performance, April + VISTA continue to expand their sonic palette hands-on. April learned viola to compose her own string arrangements, while Thompson has leaned into the physicality of their sound — emphasizing textured guitar work and live drums, and collaborating with producer Tony Kill and drummer Bradley “Foots” McDonald. The result is music that moves freely between rock, soul, electronic, and R&B without settling in any one space.
For April + VISTA, range is not an aesthetic choice but a philosophy. Their songs function as transmissions — part archive of who they’ve been, part survival guide for the present — reaching toward something beyond the immediate moment while grounded in emotional truth.
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