released May 10, 2019

• REVIEWER CAROLYN KEDDY
• MAX RnR

This LP is a collection of songs recorded between 2016 and 2018. VACATION is from Cincinnati, and reminds me of a lot of the ’80s Ohio indie rock bands. The music is lo-fi and fuzzy. The vocals are distinctive and quirky, employing interesting phrasings. The songs are catchy, but not quite singable. Not that I won’t try. I also enjoy that if you go back to VACATION’s earliest recordings, they maintained a similar sound and style. It’s pretty cool.

• Going a decade strong, Cincinnati’s “grit-pop” punk quartet, Vacation, are releasing a new LP. Which brings us to first song: “Capitol Drive.” Wasting no time at all the song casts out a hook driven by syncopated drums, bass, and rhythm guitar, alongside a warbling guitar lead. The distorted nature of the bass tone reveals itself on the upswing of the intro, which marches forward as vocals enter with a few sparsely punk nuances breaking up the guitar chords. As “Capitol Drive” progresses the chorus levels out with a slight resolution and the incorporation of a pulsating tremolo-heavy guitar line. The essentially unchanging drum part throughout “Capitol Drive” creates a pulsating groove that blends nicely with the song’s fuzzy, fluttering bass lines. Lyrically, the track conjures up satirical memories and sneering political stabs chanting lines like: “strolling down the street of a sunny memory, where White House and Capitol collide” and “gather round the TV, CNN and candy. Upwards to the stars we will rise!"  Vacation ends the song characteristically well with a sloping fadeout. Everything flawlessly fades to vocal repetitions of the words “on White House Drive.” The overall gritty-by-nature punk tones and borderline pop song structure of “Capitol Drive” harnesses the power of a good hook and ability to refrain from overthinking what should not be overthought.
  

Recorded/mixed by Vacation 2016-18
"Capitol Drive" recorded/mixed by Bobby Hussy at Hex Empire in Madison, WI

Mastered by John Hoffman
Artwork/layout by Evan Wolff

Vacation is:
Dylan McCratney
John Hoffman
Evan Wolff
Jerome Westerkamp III