Chiming guitar and lazy, carefree vocals form the homogenous backdrop to No Place Like Home, a continuation of the band’s style to date. However, as much as that feeling is blissful, the album lacks a need to return for another play. It’s frustratingly lost in a plethora of other, almost identical, lo-fi indie pop bands which has spawned countless others with beach-related names following early Beach House. Take Beach Fossils, Best Coast and Surf Curse, to name but a few. It’s music you’ve heard before, probably in cafes full of the ‘MacBook and macchiato’ types or on algorithm-curated work playlists.
The opener “Next Exit” is happy and upbeat, raising an expectation that this album is going to be great. The titular “No Place Like Home” is a sleepy, pensive track overlaid by leader Campbell Burn’s vocals droning, “Change course, sail away from the rubs / It’s not safe here anymore / We’re not the same / I can’t choose to remain here anymore.” The record is full of the same jejune sentimentality but in light of Burns opening up about his diagnosis of OCD, much of it could also be about his mental health.
“Midwest” is abundant with more saccharine lyrics but that doesn’t detract from finding it catchy. “Arizona” begins with the sounds of an imaginary underwater airport melting into a dreamy interlude. “Terms and Conditions” brings back mellow jangly vibes with slow strumming and drums that mimick a heartbeat. Finally, to complete the Vacations’ sleeping pill, “Lost in Translation” is a noddy acoustic closing with minimal chords. Here, Campbell bids a compassionate adieu to his inner child.
While other musicians in this genre do more with their lyrics or with an occasional tinkering of the classic indie pop formula, such as the way Mac DeMarco does, Vacations stick to the recipe rigidly. It’s not that there’s anything to dislike here, it’s just that there’s nothing to really love. But if you’re looking for fairly breezy and anodyne background music then No Place Like Home fits the bill. Just don’t expect to remember a single song.
