One of our primary goals at Hillydilly is to promote music that feels good, and we love to reflect that goal in the music we share, so when we hear a band like Vacationer, we can't help but be ecstatic about spreading their optimistic melodies to our listeners. The trio is oozing with musical talent, ranging from lead singer Kenny Vasoli to Body Language's Matthew Young and Grant Wheeler. After dropping off an outstanding first album, Gone, a couple years ago, the group is finally back with a brand new, full-length project, Relief, which radiates their distinct brand of tropical pop that we absolutely adore. The first new track to jump out at us is "Shining", a mellow, yet somewhat upbeat tune scattered with beachy guitar plucks and fresh percussion. A bright melody, presumably produced by a harp (or another string instrument), makes occasional appearances throughout the song, sometimes taking front stage and other times just being a slight background layer. Plenty of summery nuances pop up during the song, however, and Kenny Vasoli's uplifting vocals are ideal for the affair. Next, we found "Go Anywhere" to be particularly outstanding, largely because of the brilliantly formed tropical percussion; an acoustic beat consisting of bongos, taps, thumps, and strums lies beneath the song's surface, giving it an extraordinary feel. Vacationer doesn't hesitate to implement plenty of nuances that may remind you of their old work, either, such as the kaleidoscopic sounds that fluttered about on "Trip". Occasional influxes of euphonic strings and melodic tings pop up throughout, and though the effort is mostly stripped-down, its subtle layers along with Vasoli's insightful lyrics produce an enchanting piece. The two singles from Relief, "The Wild Life" and "In The Grass", are both ideal for any warm-weather occasion, so if you missed them the first time around, you should be thrilled to hear them now. However, they aren't necessarily too similar in structure; the former song mainly has an upbeat vibe constituted by bongos, bass plucks, guitar strums, and melodic bits, while the latter has a unique instrumental created by Vacationer's signature strings, a consistent kick, and plenty of small additions. Despite the fact that they were released a couple months ago, we still can't get enough of these infectiously sun-soaked tunes, so be sure to give them a good listen if you haven't already. Although we've only posted two new songs from the album here, Relief is seeping with many more efforts that Vacationer fans will adore, such as the De La Sol-influenced "Paradise Waiting" and the sandy sounds of "Vision". Overall, we're enthralled to have more Vacationer tunes to bask in this summer, and if you happened to be a fan of their first album, you'll definitely be hooked on this one. You can grab our favorites and the rest of Relief now on iTunes.
Vacationer