B-Side Guys

After thirty years of basement experiments and attic recordings, Moviola arrives at perhaps their most paradoxical achievement: making groundedness sound like revelation. “Earthbound” functions as both album opener and philosophical statement from a band that’s spent three decades floating between genres, finally choosing to plant feet firmly on soil rather than chase atmospheric departures.

The track showcases Moviola’s democratic songwriting approach without sacrificing coherent vision. Multiple voices weave through the arrangement, but rather than creating cacophony, they establish the kind of communal harmony that only develops through decades of shared creative space. The production maintains their DIY aesthetic while revealing newfound clarity—this sounds like music recorded in studios they built themselves, but with thirty years of accumulated knowledge about how rooms should sound.

Jake Housh’s founding vision has evolved into something genuinely collective here, with each member’s contributions feeling essential rather than tokenistic. The instrumentation draws from their extensive genre wanderings—traces of Space Echo folk, pure pop sensibilities, and their early fuzz-pop explorations—without feeling like nostalgic pastiche. This is Moviola synthesizing their entire catalog into something that sounds simultaneously familiar and fresh.

Lyrically, the song examines modern disconnection through imagery of missed trains and failed communication, but offers earthbound existence as antidote rather than resignation. The invitation to “come on down” suggests descent as choice rather than defeat, positioning groundedness as radical act in an era obsessed with elevation and escape.

The Rust Belt context proves crucial to understanding Moviola’s longevity. While coastal scenes chase trends and reinvent themselves seasonally, this Columbus collective has cultivated patience, allowing ideas to develop organically across decades rather than forcing premature evolution. “Earthbound” represents the fruit of that sustained commitment.

Can a band hit its stride after thirty years? Moviola answers by suggesting that some destinations require extended journeys to reach properly.