No Vacation Phasing Album Review
Nick Brumbach / Editor / The USD Radio
No Vacation
Album: Phasing EP
Label: Topshelf Records
Release Date: October 18, 2019
Originally from San Francisco, now a Brooklyn based band, No Vacation has been a prevalent voice in the indie/alternative scene ever since their debut album Amo XO in 2015. Songs such as Beach Bummer, Lovefool, and August highlight the bands dream-pop sound entranced by lead singer Sabrina Mai’s soothing voice and bouncing guitar waves. Originally formed in their college days, No Vacation offers pure authenticity of sound in their journey of exploring the dream-scape that is their music.
Following their 2015 EP “Summer Break Mixtape” struggling with a loss of identity, changing members here and there, and even performing under different names, the band went on a hiatus. After reforming in 2017, No Vacation has pushed to improve their band focusing on the sunlit spark that defined their sound from the beginning. While their EP “Intermission” showed great resilience in the band’s ability to refine after the break while retaining their identity that they had crafted several years earlier, as shown in their single “Yam Yam” again highlighting Mai’s fluent, whisper like voice, the struggle to create a cohesive work that encapsulates what made their first project so great loomed deep within the music.
Opening this year with the single entitled “Linger” No Vacation has proven that they are back and better than ever. Filling the void that was once left with the struggle to encapsulate the bands dream-like aesthetic while not over producing their sound, “Linger” offers the pure balance of sound while adding several instruments that were left from their previous projects. Containing layers and accents of sound that all work to create a bending soothing melody, highlighted by Nai’s piercing lead vocals and other instruments including acoustic guitar, violin, the reverb filled guitar licks that established their sound, and all wrapped up by Nai’s vocal harmonies in the background, this song is No Vacations bounce back into the scene with full intention to stay.
The latest project of No Vacation Phasing features the bands devle into the alternative, reverb entranced sound that made them great. Opening with the track “Estrangers” this song is again filled by Nai’s harmonic voice that “Linger” so expertly highlighted. Again following the delve into the more creative side of the band after the release of “Linger”, “Estrangers” features the violin and synth bells that balance the sharpness of the guitar and the band as a whole. While “Changes” is more reminiscent of the bands most early tracks, No Vacation used this track to take a step back from the layers of sound that they have so expertly mixed in the past to bring a more clean cut sound that emphasizes the pop nature of the band that made their first songs so popular, while showing the ability to slow down the song about halfway through. “Changes” emphasizes No Vacations ability to not be too rushed in the whole process of making a more poppy song. The song “Days” is the perfect culmination of what makes this EP great. Opening with a sharp drum fill to jump you right in followed by the ever repeating reverb filled guitar that is the cornerstone of this band, this track perfectly culminates what No Vacation is all about. Nai’s vocals again carry the song, filling the listener with a sense of nostalgia and a feeling of longing for the past. Overall this album encapsulated exactly what fans of the original sounds of No Vacation were looking for while highlighting a more slowed down taste of the band following their maturity of sound after original breakup and shift of identity.
Tracklist:
Estrangers
Changes
Out of Place
Days
Last Dance
Recommended if you like:
Summer Salt
Turnover
Japanese Breakfast
Boy Pablo
Recommended songs:
Changes
Days