Vacationer emits a slinky World Music groove that blends elements of Tropicalia, Pop and Trip Hop with atmospheric Ambient music shades, giving the band a moodily bouncy sound that suggests Colorado altrockers The Samples collaborating with Morcheeba while Brian Eno obliquely strategizes their next studio maneuver. Its unique brand of island music is self-described as “Nu-Hula,” and that seems like an appropriate tag to hang on Vacationer’s exotic sonic fingerprint.
Vacationer’s beach-blanket bingo began with Kenny Vasoli, singer/bassist of Pop/Punk band The Starting Line (and the more experimental splinter project, Person L), who was reportedly so inspired by LCD Soundsystem’s 2010 set at Bonnaroo that he floated the idea of doing an Electronic project past his manager/Starting Line bandmate Matt Watts. In response, Watts introduced Vasoli to the Brooklyn-based Indie/Electronic band Body Language. After a single session with Body Language’s Matthew Young and Grant Wheeler, Vasoli and the band spawned the song “Great Love.”
The first Vacationer track to go public was “Trip,” which began to draw a lot of attention from music blogs. Before even playing a live show, the buzz around “Trip” led to a contract with Downtown Records, which released Vacationer’s debut full-length, Gone, in 2012. After putting together a full band and touring behind Gone for two years, Vasoli recorded the more confident but still chilled-out Relief, which was released last June and cracked the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart.
If you think Vampire Weekend is a little too self-aware and twee and find Martin Denny a little too on-the-nose for your taste, take a paper-umbrella-garnished sip of Vacationer and see if that doesn’t transport you to the sandy frontal-lobe paradise you’ve been seeking.
