’80s new wave retro hits its zenith in this exclusive track from Vacances

Well, it took a long time, but we seem to be through the worst of ’80s nostalgia, which means we can finally get to the good stuff. (To wit: Have you seen Everybody Wants Some!! yet? You should.) Nowhere is this more evident than with “Runaway,” the great new track from the New York-based group Vacances (pronounced ”Vacancies”). Unlike the up-with-people ’80s retro sounds infecting much of the mainstream music of today, the band aims straight for the dark, cocaine-fueled heart of the era’s most compelling electronic pop. It’s a world of late nights with Depeche Mode, of crackling college radio stations playing New Order, and the song finds the beating heart of that scowling-on-the-inside aesthetic. It’s like the aural equivalent of seeing someone smiling on the dance floor, only to realize they’re bleeding from their eyes.