Localized Music: Vacations' I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid
Indie rock has a long and notable history of musicians rising like phoenixes to create new projects after the dissolution of their previous musical mainstays. It's rare, however, when the new group threatens to overshadow those past efforts. But Vacations, a trio comprised of members from the recently broken up Chin Up Chin Up, have accomplished this feat with their debut record, I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid (a combination of a 7-inch single and eight-song EP). Part of what’s truly remarkable about Vacations is the ambitiously modest nature of the instrumentation: The trio completely eschews guitars, opting instead for less conventional instruments like ukulele and African thumb pianos.
The end result makes Vacations sound like a blue-collar Vampire Weekend, but with the emotionally resonant loneliness of The Postal Service. From the afro-pop effervescence of “Punk Bass,” to the electro-pop minimalism of “Weekend”—the percussive clicks-and-clacks of which hammer home the subtle heartbreak of the refrain—not to mention the achingly beautiful frenetic strumming of “With Mahmood,” I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid maintains a deft balance between austere beauty and an invigorating relaxed melodicism during the course of 13 wonderfully engaging tracks. Let’s hope this vacation stays permanent. Grade: A-
I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid's record-release show is April 6 at the Empty Bottle.
Download: Vacations' “Hassle With Real”
