Kevin Bronson on August 10th, 2015

2

The first EP from new L.A. quartet Opus Vitae bursts out of the gate fully formed, sounding like the lofty ideal — opus vitae is Latin for “life’s work” — the band name suggests. It’s the work of Portland native Banah Winn, the former keyboardist in Cayucas, who’s joined by three other L.A. transplants, Montreal native and lead guitarist Yan Clermont and Seattle ex-pats Miles Frank on drums and Pat Birney on bass. Opus Vitae’s is the kind of indie-rock that fits into no fashion-focused genre (unless “earnestness” counts) — but it does feature some dramatic dynamic shifts and Clermont’s nifty guitar licks that recall bands like Local Natives and Grizzly Bear. The long-in-the-works EP, out Aug. 28, was produced by Darrell Thorp, whose credits include recordings by the likes of Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Beck, Gnarls Barkley and Foster the People. The single “I’ve Been Wrong” is heartfelt apology, but all is not so serious in director Victor Treviño’s strange and hilarious music video for the song. The video stars a piece of fried chicken as a spurned lover. No, really. Or, as he says in a moment of self-loathing, “a dangerous man … with a poisonous heart.” Will the woman of his dreams — played by Julia Misaki — come around? It’s worth finding out whether the script sticks to the original recipe.

||| Stream” I’ve Been Wrong”

||| Watch: The video for “I’ve Been Wrong”