Lavish psychedelia mixes with ominous urgency and emotional strain in Vacation Forever’s dreamy debut ‘EP 1’.
for fans of Foster the People, The Flaming Lips, Cold War Kids
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Lavish psychedelia mixes with ominous urgency and emotional strain in Vacation Forever’s dreamy debut EP 1. An intimate affair dripping with rich, vibrant music and lyrics, EP 1 twists us through a trip down memory lane, inviting reflection and soul-searching as Vacation Forever explores the people and places that make us who we are.
![EP 1 - Vacation Forever](https://cdn-0.atwoodmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/EP-1-Vacation-Forever-350x350.jpg)
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering EP 1, Vacation Forever’s debut EP (out everywhere this Friday, 7/13/2018 via Jeff Bhasker’s label Kravenworks). The musical project of Stockholm, Sweden-based artist Zacharias Zachrisson, Vacation Forever creates mystical psychedelia with a raw swagger and genre-defiant grace. His music recalls the likes of Foster the People and The Flaming Lips, but his sounds and styles are all over the place – from the lush pop of MIKA, to the garage rock grit of Cold War Kids. A painter and model in addition to multi-instrumentalist songwriter, Zachrisson sets no limits on his solo introduction; no style is out of bounds, no song too “experimental” as he dives deep into himself.
At its heart, EP 1 is a record of somber introspection – the result of a tumultuous 2017 wherein Zachrisson lost his mother and left the band he founded, dealing with severe stage fright. Vacation Forever rises out of that darkness with freefall abandon. EP 1 is not so much reckless as it is nonchalant and untroubled; the artist approaches music with an ob-la-di ob-la-da, come what may mentality that inspires exploration and indulgence.
“I think I need to go my own way… I need to find my own way,” Zachrisson sings in 7-minute opener “True Romance,” an ironic title for what is clearly more of a breakup than a getting-together. The sluggish beat and heavy synths set the scene for future dealings with trauma, self-doubt, loneliness, sadness, and so on.
That is not to say that EP 1 is without light, warmth, and cheer; in fact, much of Vacation Forever’s music – from the buoyant “Blank Ocean” to the tension-riddled, propulsive “Kamikaze Love” – is catchy and dynamic, an incredibly powerful listening experience not soon forgotten. But for every bright and shining moment, there is a lingering darkness. Dive into the full record via our exclusive stream, and peek inside Vacation Forever’s EP 1 with Atwood Magazine as Zacharias Zachrisson shares a bit about the songs on his enthralling debut.
Listen: ‘EP 1’ – Vacation Forever
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/507324144?secret_token=s-X5Y6Z” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”350″ iframe=”true” /]:: Inside EP 1 ::
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True Romance
it was never meant to be that long – the whole ending part is a mistake but it sounds good so we let stay
Blank Ocean
it’s a song about my childhood in Portugal, and one of my best friends who still live there
I Changed My Life for You
took one hour to do and it’s one of my favorites
Noova
Noova is my engineer and co-producer’s young daughter’s name. The video features my young nephew
Kamikaze Love
the story of my life…..but with a bad ending
Bored
I had so much fun doing this song – it’s a bit ironic, I was listening to a lot of Flaming Lips at the time and got inspired to do what the fuck you feel like and not give a shit what others would think of it
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