Last Vacation embrace a fresh start in “Neon Home,” an effervescent debut single full of guitar-driven warmth and infectious positivity.
Stream: “Neon Home” – Last Vacation
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/547806279?secret_token=s-A1Vni” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]There’s nothing quite like the rush of releasing ourselves from the past and jumping into a new unknown full of possibility. We don’t know what life will throw at us, but the only way to find out is by diving headfirst into the moment and immersing ourselves in the present. Last Vacation embrace a fresh start in “Neon Home,” an effervescent debut single full of guitar-driven warmth and infectious positivity.
Time is all I have, I never had enough
To do it, to do it all again
And even if I could,
I don’t know if I would
I just want to let it all go
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering Last Vacation’s debut single “Neon Home,” out on all platforms May 17, 2019. Consisting of Travis Rutzel on vocals and guitar, Scott Anderson on drums, Dan Hennessey on bass, and Stephen MacDonald on guitar, Neon Home are a new indie pop force full of pulsing guitar-driven charm and bright energy. Citing nostalgia and music from the ’90s and ’00s as some of their key influences, the Boston four-piece bring a dreamy, lilting mood to vulnerable lyrics and bittersweet stories that are as personal as they are relatable.
Produced by Tyler Kershaw (well known for his music as Funeral Advantage), “Neon Home” feels much like the beginning of guitar pop’s next generation. Hints of Bad Suns, COIN, and fellow Boston natives Magic Man can be heard in Last Vacation’s instrumentation and melodies – leading us only to wonder how this band will follow in the footsteps of so many before them, while also carving out a space for themselves.
On its own, “Neon Home” lights up a room. Bouncy guitars flirt with a cheery melody as Travis Rutzel’s sweet alto laments time (there’s never enough) and the past’s myriad regrets and mistakes. The choruses find the band shaking off these thoughts, focusing on next steps and putting the past behind them:
I know a place that we can go
I know, find me
I know a place that we can go
I know, run away with me
“Neon Home takes me through the process of a new decision,” Last Vacation’s Travis Rutzel explains. “The good that can come out of it, the drawbacks, the fears. That necessary jump to the unknown. I love the pacing of a classic dance song from the ’70s and ’80s. I think Bowie and Fleetwood Mac did great job of creating a familiar groove that everyone can move to, and I wanted to capture that movement. Change is hard, sometimes happy sometimes sad. On this track I focused on the happy and how I can afford to learn a new dance.”
It’s another chance to teach me how to dance
I’ll do it, I’ll do it all again
Practice everyday until we run away
I just want to let it all go
Change is such an easy word to say, but such a hard one to own. For many, the prospect of upending a part of our lives is unbearable to even think about. Nothing exists in a vacuum, but sometimes we have to accept a little chaos in order to find sturdier ground. Last Vacation’s debut single is all about taking risks and allowing yourself to be vulnerable — to dive into the deep end of life, knowing we’ll have to swim around a bit before we can catch our breath.
Basking in a wash of effected guitars, Last Vacation take their first steps with lively excitement. Stream their debut single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from this young band as they sail off into a bright and hopeful tomorrow.
Stream: “Neon Home” – Last Vacation
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? © Kristin Otharsson
