A QUICK CHAT WITH VACATIONS

Australian indie pop quartet Vacations have just released their second full-length album Forever In Bloom. With an incredible build-up that has seen the Newcastle outfit continue to expand their global fan base in eye-watering numbers, the release of Forever In Bloom further fortifies foundations and elevates Vacations to the role of serious world-stage contenders.

Forever In Bloom is stamped with Vacations’ hallmark crystalline jangle and punctuated by the resonant vocals of founder Campbell Burns. Along with members Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzotti and Joseph Van Lier, Vacations have ventured beyond the threshold of self-belief unto a fully-fledged realisation of their combined musical hopes and aspirations.

Bright and clearly produced by Holy Holy’s Oscar Dawson, Forever In Bloom presents this deep thinking, deep feeling band exploring the elements of their craft that allow the almost photographic capture of emotional time and space.

We caught up with front person Campbell Burns for a quick chat.

Who are the bands, music and or, cultural figures (if any) that Vacations reference as a measure of greatness?

For me personally, Tyler the Creator. He’s extremely prolific in every sense, flexing his creativity from music, to fashion, to ice-cream, and more. There’s always growth and change. He never stays in the same place twice, it’s extremely inspiring to see.

Is there a pivotal musical moment you all shared that helped define your new album Forever In Bloom?

We played in Copenhagen during our ‘Changes’ tour, towards the end of our time in Europe, and I guess it was the fatigue or lack of people there but all of that built up into this intense energy. What followed was a long, and healthy, conversation in the green room about where we wanted to be as people, and artists, and how we could get there. You could say it “sowed the seeds” for Forever in Bloom (hahahaha).

What does the personality of each member bring to the band as a whole?

Jake - Somehow the most analytical yet goofy member, will lighten up the room and always give me a different perspective.

Nate - Nate balances out our songwriting with his dance-orientated background in production. There’s a lot of care and precision in what he does, as well as texture with his sound.

Joey - Calm gentle giant that strengthens the rhythm section and brings songs to life, and just loves a good conversation and a crazy story.

Could you give me one sentence that describes where you feel the band is at right at this exact point in time?

Feeling good, living better.

Such a crazy time to release an album, why do you think new art is important in these times?

Can you imagine going through such a time without any new works to help pull you through it? It’d be terrible! Art soothes the soul, we’re happy for our music to be released now and would have been disappointed if it was delayed it any longer.

stream Forever In Bloom here