The music of Vacations isn't going to set the world on fire. And I'm pretty sure that none of the band members from this Australian group would want to. However, what's on Pursuit of Anything is quietly affirming, and super easy to absorb as a fan of radio-friendly indie-flavored rock.
A number like "Yesterday" owes a lot of its appeal to the throwback keyboards here. The same thing could be said about so many of the better tunes on Pursuit of Anything. "Holy Grail" is a real highlight here. The smooth-as-honey vocals gently duel with the synths and fans from my peer group might even hear a slight echo of stuff like O.M.D. and China Crisis here. Still, "Last Call" suggests a more energetic path for Vacations, especially thanks to the faint whiff of Josef K lurking in the riffs of this one.
Vacations make this all work thanks to the keyboards and rich production. Every cut here is dripping with synths and samples, enough that the tunes themselves feel like they are only devices to showcase the chirps and bleeps. Vocalist Campbell Burns nearly gets swamped at times, but overall the record works on its own decidedly radio-friendly terms. And while every selection here sounds like it was tailor-made to go on the soundtrack of a streaming show about angsty teens, that's not a bad thing, mind you. If you are a fan of Blossoms, you may find parts of this one right up your alley. Vacations play it a little safe but there's enough here to make this modestly appealing to even the most hard-hearted of indie fans.
Pursuit of Anything by Vacations is out this week. Details below.
[Photo: Pooneh Ghana]