Approachable and Avant-Garde: How April + Vista Made Their Own DC Sound

April + VISTA are not your usual D.C. band. Most local music fans can hear Goonew and immediately identify the DMV flow, and every self-respecting Washingtonian should be able to clock Go-Go from a muffled subwoofer three blocks away. April + VISTA may be D.C. through and through, and proud of it, but to hear it, you’ve gotta dive deeper into the extended DMV musical universe.

April George and Matt Thompson went to Hampton University together, but met via Soundcloud DMs post-graduation in 2014. Thompson, like so many millennial-aged locals, grew up in the burgeoning early-’10s Maryland burbs rap scene. “I started making beats with my friend Sir EU. I could talk for days about running around the city and catching shows.” George’s story is very D.C. in its own right, moving here from Virginia post-grad and turning to music to offset the soul-suckery of 9 - 5 life.

A decade later, April + VISTA have turned these experiences into a sound completely their own. 2018’s “You Are Here” is equal parts scientifically-engineered and soulful, 2021’s “Pit Of My Dreams” is dark and Kid A-esque, and 2023’s collaboration with Little Dragon “Slipping Into Color” showed they could hang with the big dawgs.

Throughout it all, their work strikes the rare balance every artist strives for: Unique and undeniably listenable, avant-garde but accessible, and pleasing to both the music snob and the casual listener. “At its root our music is still hip-hop but when we were growing up we listened to so much alt-rock, gospel, soul music, hardcore music, and screamo music. When we came together we realized we listened to the same kind of weird stuff,” says George.

April + VISTA don’t fall into the trap of transgression for transgression's sake, rather a transgression inspired by their pursuit of synthesizing the array of musical influences they were exposed to in the DMV.

Thompson added, “We draw so much inspiration from our peers locally. Our biggest influences are our friends here.” One of those friends, Tony Kill, a comparably dissonant PG County prodigy, is featured on April + VISTA’s new single “Bless My Heart.” (Kill’s 2016 project Thought Crimes is an all-timer DMV hidden gem.)

A stank face-inducing bass line leads “Bless My Heart,” as it often does in an April + VISTA concoction. But this time it’s dirtier, punkier, and complimented primarily by a drum kit. George’s verses bring a familiar haunting beauty, while Kill’s autotuned hook is simultaneously confounding and catchy. It reflects a fresh direction for April + VISTA’s debut full length, slated for early 2026. “We get bored really quickly with our sounds. We're always trying to challenge ourselves in different ways.”

When reflecting on April + VISTA’s journey thus far, Thompson said their success has been due in large part to their DMV upbringing, “The decisions to take risks and our absolute DIY-to-a-fault spirit comes from the scene we were born out of.”

It’s a distinctly D.C. story: If there’s not a venue, we’ll build it, if there’s not a scene, we’ll nurture it, and if there’s not a sound, we’ll find it.

🎟️ Upcoming Local Shows To See

🎵 New Local Music Mentions

“Supa Cousteau” El Cousteau feat. A$AP Rocky — I’m late, but D.C. native El Cousteau’s new album is full of DMV shouts and easter eggs. This rock ‘n’ roll Rocky feature is just the icing on the cake.

🎧 Your December Local Music Playlist

Check out this Spotify playlist we made, featuring April + VISTA plus their local picks and inspirations.