Vacationer - Gone

Emanating from the Eastern Seaboard as it says on their Facebook page, Vacationer have arrived on the scene with their debut album titled "Gone". The album is a pure, escapist delight with hints of dream pop and relaxing aural rhythms that make this album one of the best of the year so far and one to enjoy with the warm weather and the summertime both coming our way shortly.

The disc starts off in grand fashion on "Everyone Knows", featuring a neat keyboard pattern that melds in terrifically with the vocals and the other instruments brought forward on this breathtaking track. "Good As New" has an awesome retro feel to it with some dazzling piano rhythms and some light scratches reminiscent of hearing this song on vinyl, a format which would be highly recommended to listen to this entire album on. My favorite song off the disc is the jawdropping "Trip", an immense cavalcade of earthy dream-pop inspired by Beach House and the vocals adding an immense flood of aural delights that will leave you immediately satisfied and ready for a day at the beach. "No Rules" is a toned down, bare bones track that features simple orchestral arrangements and cooing vocals that are truly a sight to behold and to hear at the same time. The disc's title track is a downright heavenly track that takes the disc itself to whole new heights with warm, inviting rhythms and the pleasurable vocals greeting you upon first listen, and some light synth arrangements manage to sneak their way into the song as well adding a great deal of aura and instantly transporting you to a world of paradise that no other album can provide.

The disc's latter half features tracks such as "Summer End", a track that manages to integrate the guitars more prominently and if you hear closely, you can hear some flute sounds that make this song one of the standouts among a well fleshed out disc heard so far. The track immediately segues way into the next one "Great Love", a track that features a terrific drum pattern and the kinship of everyone involved contribute a plethora of musical ideas that come to fruition magically on this outstanding tune. All good things have to come to an end however, as the disc begins to close it out on "Farther", an amazing example of the simplicity of this record as a whole, and how organically it came together without the need for a production budget or the need to re-record tracks because they just didn't sound right. The disc ends on "Be With You" a fun, breezy track that features some light percussion arrangements that bring together all the serene and wonderful melodies that we heard so far, and present them in one cohesive song to bring together an overall synopsis of the album to the listener. It's not too often that we come across an album that transports us from our everyday lives so authentically and magically, this album manages to do just that and is a band that is a perfect example of what upstart bands need to be following musically and following what Vacationer adheres to within their own musical outlet and forget about all the so-called "rules" and "guidelines" that bands think they need to adapt to.

To sum it all up, the debut album from Vacationer is one that you need to purchase right away and is a band that I'm sure we'll be hearing from in one way, shape, or form again sometime soon down the road. Highly recommended!

                                                                                                                             Album Score: 4.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Everyone Knows
2. Good As New
3. Trip
4. Dreamlike
5. No Rules
6. Gone
7. Having It All
8. Summer End
9. Great Love
10. Farther
11. Be With You