Opus Vitae Shares Melancholy Track 'Chasing Ducks'

Los Angeles based indie artist Opus Vitae returns today with the new single "Chasing Ducks" - a bittersweet melody that relishes in the past as a way to figure out the future. The track debuted by way of Northern Transmissions yesterday, who said the song had tones of Porches and Sufjan Stevens.

Opus Vitae is the moniker of Banah Winn, an artist who much like Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, composes and records everything solo. As someone who places all the work on himself, Banah is a man of much contemplation and emotional discovery. In a similar discourse to Tame Impala, listeners can find themselves lost in the seemingly simple nuances that build into greater intricacies of the mind. Opus Vitae means "life's work," something Banah wants to capture and create all while living within the moment.

"Chasing Ducks" takes fragments of the past and holds them up to the light as a reference that many audiences will be able to relate to. Banah shares his story:

"One of my favorite memories as a kid, chasing ducks around the pond of the lake in Portland Oregon.

A song about missing home during the holidays. I was stranded in Los Angeles away from my family and alone for Hanukkah / Christmas. My step-mom sent me a photo album with pictures from my childhood bringing back a flood of nostalgic memories. A look back into the messiness that was my upbringing, and a look forward into the search for home.

It's a reflection on childhood and dichotomy of how ignorance is bliss, yet during that time in hindsight you realize there was a lot more going on than you realized. I hope people will take away that family is messy, but its family, and that messiness is a wonderful thing. Despite living in a home that was essentially splitting apart, and feeling like I was in the middle of it all, there were a lot of really great times to feel nostalgic about. The idea of home is an important one, and a universal one, and I know we're all looking for that. Even if that place is far from perfect.

A stark shift in instrumentation and scene switches the narrative from past to future. It was originally written as a guitar ballad, became a much more cinematic nostalgic dream, with a duel beat and overdubbed keyboards and mellotron strings."

"Chasing Ducks" is part of project to be released in two parts, as an LP and EP, in the near future. Banah intends the autobiographical product to be a fluid narrative in which each song seeks to capture the emotion or feeling of a moment in time.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Banah grew up the son of hippie parents struggled to find his own voice after the generation of rebellion and excess. Moving to Los Angeles, he's made a promise to find self-acceptance and empathy for others. In the fast-paced city of dreams, he finds peace through the daily practice of yoga and connecting with others on a visceral level through his music. He's been featured on Buzzbands, Consequence of Sound, and The Wild Honey Pie, as well as the LA radio stations KROQ, Alt 98.7, and KCRW.

For more info and artist updates, connect with Opus Vitae on social media and follow him on streaming platforms.