Psychedelic indie rock seven-piece ISTA returns today with the release of their new single, “Waves,” a radiant, electrifying anthem wrapped in lush guitar textures and cascading harmonies. “Waves” conjures something both intimately human and cosmically charged. It arrives with an equally transportive, Super 8 music video shot entirely on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The track marks a significant evolution in ISTA’s sprawling sound universe - a collective consciousness of seven musicians blending soulful energy of a 1970s disco party with the wild spirit of a Ken Kesey acid test. ISTA (short for In Sound To All) channels the ecstatic frequencies of punk-rock chaos, deep funk, and cosmic joy. Formed in 2019 by West Coast dreamers Rex Costello and Oliver Hart, the New York -based band has grown into a vibrant collective including Evan Eubanks, Diona West, Theadora Curtis, Chloe Golding, and Erica Butts—a kaleidoscopic mix of voices and vibes that defy genre and celebrate collective spirit.
“Waves” began as an inspiration and slowly transformed into one of ISTA’s most fully developed works, an evolution that took years to complete. Demoed initially in 2022 in the bedroom of Costello and West’s unborn son, the song evolved through multiple full studio re-recordings with producer Sam Cohen (Yellowbirds, Apollo Sunshine), each version reshaped and refined until the final incarnation finally arrived with soaring harmonies, layered guitars, and an explosive outro that somehow kept the soul of that very first demo.
“The chorus vocal came out of me that very first night like a prayer,” shares Costello. “It had this emotional, ultra-joyous reverence for life. I felt the weight and the wonder of becoming a father for the first time. This song demanded a lot of us to really listen to what it wanted to become.”
The accompanying music video, shot entirely on Super 8 film by Patrick Weinell and Rex Costello, was crafted during an extended 2025 trip to Kauai, an island that holds deep personal meaning for Costello. Featuring rugged hikes, remote waterfalls, and cinematic vistas, the video is as much a love letter to the land as it is a visual extension of the song’s spiritual undercurrent.
“With Super 8, every roll is precious. We had to be laser-focused,” says Costello. “We were at the mercy of the elements, waiting out downpours, chasing pockets of sunlight. It was a real adventure. Just like the song, it tested us in the best way.”
Created with a tight-knit, DIY crew including Rex, Patrick, Oliver, Diona, their friend Charmaine Querol, and Jackson Nash’s kids, the “Waves” video captures ISTA’s essence: collective, intentional, radiant, and real.
“Waves” will be available on all streaming platforms now, with the official video debuting simultaneously on YouTube. Prepare to be transported.
About ISTA
Born from a bi-coastal clash of energies somewhere between the colorful vibrations of a Ken Kesey acid test and the electric atmosphere of a 1970s New Year’s Eve at Studio 54, ISTA is a riff-charged, groove-infused, harmony-bedazzled psychedelic love bomb, exploding, In Sound To All. The band blurs lines between a multitude of genres, from rock to funk to disco, electronic, and punk, ultimately coalescing into something fresh, modern, and simultaneously timeless. Originally initiated in 2019, by West Coast transplants Rex Costello and Oliver Hart, the two found themselves in Brooklyn, NY, combining forces in the studio with producer Sam Cohen. The outfit quickly grew into what is now its 7-piece formation, including Evan Eubanks, Diona West, Theadora Curtis, Chloe Golding and Erica Butts.
