Vacations is a project formed from 2 members of the Chicago band Chin Up Chin Up (a band that we here at CYSTSFTS liked very much) and Bobby Burg from Make Believe. Their new album/EP collection/7”/whatever I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid contains 13 songs of rhythmically interesting indie rock that draws something from the breezy and tropical indie-punk of Abe Vigoda or Vampire Weekend but still manages to sound like it could come from nowhere but Chicago. It’s experimental in that your mom might not like it, but it’s certainly not inaccessible. This album is anything but. Of course there are shades of the members’ previous bands (minus the whole Kinsella thing) but this isn’t really comparable to either. For me, I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid is exactly the sort of fun indie album that is perfect for summer days in Chicago. It sounds like flip flops, Goose Island, hot pavement, and cool Lake Michigan breezes.

MP3 | Vacations – Solar Tongue I Was Bikini…
MP3 | Vacations – Elastic Boards I Was Bikini…