Music Blog

Summer Vacation - Condition

melodic punk with a twinge of emo

This debut album blasts off with highly energetic bratty punk. On my first listen it was solid, but didn't stick out to me. This would definitely change with subsequent listens. I'm convinced there's nothing quite like it. On "Tiffany Sucks" We get our first example of the band switching from high energy punk to quiet emo inspired guitar work. A contrast that I think works very well in this album. "Post-You" is a personal favorite of mine - with very satisfying melodic guitars, a dramatic song structure and emotionally driven lyrics. The guitar solo into "dont want to know you" is amazing. "Team Captain" starts with a high energy drive beat and a vocalist switch. This song is very catchy and very punky. "Wormhole-Blueprint" is also a favorite from this album - although i could honestly say that about every song on this album - It starts with wistful intertwining of guitars, then is immediately followed by intense, obnoxious punk. Genuinely lovely. This dies back down into the wistful guitars now accompianied by drums. And as the song builds up to explode into angsty depair, some of my favorite lyricism on the album emerges: "We decide what we want is real, illusions play games with the things we see, rythm shakes the truth out from that hole where she went - into hiding - far from - any life in the wheel you hear me?" It resonates so deeply with me because it hits on this specific part of nihilistic philosophy and subjectivity i love, and screams the emotions around those ideas that words just can't explain for me. It's like a drug induced semi-manic philosophical spiraling - where your thoughts only make sense for the moments you have some abstract visualization of them. It doesn't have to be drug induced though, if you're neurodivergent enough you can do anything lmao.

The next track "Last Summer" is another high energy track with the other vocalist, and its another great song. "Blue Dream" writhes in discomfort - bitterly exclaiming "am i just a thought in the back of your mind? am I what you're looking for? can you read deep into my core?" As the song crescendos and the singer screams "If only I had the words to pick and choose what you heard." the tune falls into heartbreaking guitars and a keyboard melody. As the song goes on, the vocalist only repeats "longing yesterday, replaying sentiment, another chance at communication" as if comforting himself. Besides the intro activating certain neurons, "The Flower That Drank the Moon" returns to a more bratty, but also endearing feeling. I absolutely love how this song's wonky structure and short moments of silence whether its between two sections or between two unintelligible screams. "Dementia" Is not this band's first run in with the fear of becoming old. It confronts the topic with a healthy dose of cynicism. It's a good singalong and routinely gets trapped in my mind.

"Not That" consoles the familiar feeling of FOMO in the first few lines, then moves onto maybe the sweetest lyrical hook in the album: "All I want is for you to be warm" Then the song has a fucking awesome outro. "Vice City" Is yet another catchy punk song with some mildly gross lyrics, and a very fun segue into the second to last song - "Apparatus" Which is instrumental. It's a good song, a great display of the band's skill, and a transition into "Cancer" Which has no vocals for the first chunk. This song is such an amazing way to close out an album. I can't put my finger on why, but I love the drawn out intro - the timing of the vocals coming in is second nature for me. The lyrics are so amazing on this track as well. Similar to "Wormhole-Blueprint's" lyrics. The delivery is so genuine and painful. The song disolves into a uncomfortable keyboard playing what should be a happy tune, but it's tainted. A man's voice is trying to comfort you. It's all familiar in a weird way. A woman cries, the man talking is engulfed by a meloncholic instrument that seems like its playing a feeling more than a song as it slowly blows up into distortion and delay.