Vacations

“Home” is not always a literal place. Sometimes, “home” represents inner peace and simply learning to hold space for yourself. This is where Vacations lead singer and guitarist Campbell Burns has arrived as he and bandmates Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzotti, and Joseph Van Lier release their third LP, No Place Like Home.

Following 2020’s Forever In Bloom LP, No Place Like Home finds the Newcastle DIY outfit expanding their trademark melodic indie rock/pop to new sonic horizons. Produced by Campbell and John Velasquez (Zella Day, Broods), it comprises 10 shimmering tracks brimming with indie-pop hooks and just a touch of bittersweet sensitivity. “I had this loose concept of No Place Like Home being an Americana-influenced album,” Campbell says of the album’s sonic inspirations. “I wanted to incorporate more pianos, acoustic guitars, Nashville tuning, and country-inspired lap steel, but then also bringing in drum machines and synths and finding a mix between the two.”

The new project follows an intense period of transformation for Campbell, who was forced to cancel all touring commitments due to COVID restrictions and subsequently came down with a severe bout of writer’s block. After seeking therapy, he was eventually diagnosed with Pure OCD (or “Pure O”), a subtype of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder marked by intrusive, unwanted, and uncontrollable thoughts. “Pure OCD is more mental compulsions rather than physical compulsions,” Campbell explains. “If I have an intrusive thought, I'm giving that thought belief and power over myself.”

“I began to hit a wall, and then another wall,” Campbell elaborates of this time. “I found it extremely difficult to write anything for years. I didn’t know what Vacations’ voice was anymore, or even my own in a day-to-day sense. I had to find a way to fall back in love with music and so much else in my life, or I knew I would simply cease to exist.”

As the world began to open up, so did Campbell’s vibrant creative spirit. Vacations hit the road for the first time in two years, selling out The Fonda in LA and playing Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, experiences that partially inform No Place Like Home, which also engages in nuanced discussions around mental health, personal growth, and sexuality.