TED TALKS PRESENTS: TED LISTENS EP. 2

 

VACATIONER, "Wild Life," Relief, Downtown Records

What you know as "Intern Ted" is actually a composite of a long lineage of internships- one being sound production at The Roxy. Oh yes, when I wasn't wringing out saliva from microphone pop-screens, I was helping with the shows and meeting bands – enter Vacationer.

Here's what I remember:

• They were remarkably calm while reprogramming ALL of their synth effects hours before the show due to a faulty SD card. 

• They stepped right off the stage and into the crowd immediately following their set - just to shoot the shit.

Their energy directly paralleled their sound. Inclusive, composed, chilled. Vacationer is post-chillwave synth-pop: sometimes with bass, sometimes with sampled material, always with clear, soaring vocals.

They just released their new LP, Relief, off of Downtown Records so I took a good listen to the single, "Wild Life."
While not sample driven, the track is just as lush and feather-light as their 2012 material. Along with showcasing the band's capacity for crafting hyper-catchy hooks, "Wild Life" particularly excels rhythmically with a dense, syncopated beat full of moving parts.
Front person, Kenny Vasoli's mantra while recording Relief is unsurprising, "relaxation." In true Vacationer fashion he recently stated, “Nothing is the end of the world until the end of the world. So you might as well enjoy this thing.” So goes the multilayered "ease" of Vacationer. The ease at which the band approaches life pairs nicely with the ease at which Vasoli effortlessly hits his crystal-tenor melodies.