"Two years, too late / Let you down / Call it fate / I'm a child learning / How to walk again..."
The acerbically named "Terms & Conditions by Australia's Vacations feels both pained and sublimely tender. It is the kind of song that stealthily get's under your skin and buries itself into the soft center of your heart within a minute. Simply constructed with beautifully rendered somber vocals, the melancholy confessional was written by lead singer Campbell Burns about his recent diagnosis of Pure OCD.
He shares:
“It is one of my favourite songs on the record, and easily my most confessional to date. After three years of therapy, I was diagnosed with a chronic mental health condition called Pure OCD. It’s rare, but incredibly debilitating if left untreated. Unfortunately, it also carries a lot of social stigma, which led me to keep it close to my chest, till now. When I was first diagnosed, I was overjoyed. I had made so much progress. Now I could begin to truly know myself and take the right steps to manage my health. The afterglow wore off quickly, though as I realized the root cause for so many things within my life. All of my mannerisms, behaviours, and rituals made sense now. It was an overwhelming realization. How something had been impacting me my entire life and that I had no idea. Yet, with time and patience, it became manageable and turned into a strength that changed me for the better. It is about my experience with mental health. From having this difficult realization about yourself to learning how to keep moving forward. Be kind to yourself, it takes time.”
I love the sonic nuances, the touches of ambient sounds that push memory buttons in your brain. The sense is a live recording in terms of the spatial nature and the comfortable natural spaces around Campbell's vocal countenance. The bouncing, percolating guitar sounds feel truly embracing, the effect might shatter you a bit, might skate across your skin like goose bumps. The swelling, glowing moments of the song will hit you with soft punches to the gut and hugs around your shoulders.
The weight of the poetry especially when you know the back story makes you feel thoughtful things between the lines.
"Tenderness and patience
My spirit wanesFrom your, off-guard, distractions
It's a quiet oblivion
Crushing into violence
I'll play hide and seek
On your terms
Despite my condition
I can't
Think straight
Yet I have 20/20 vision"
On the way to hopefully finding our purpose, to getting as close as we can to self actualization we might find our biology leaving us bruised and scared acting like flesh and blood or chemical speed bumps. Understanding such challenges with people who love you makes the difference between empowerment and despair.
"Terms & Conditions" is accompanied with a wonderful Official Video shot by Vacations, Charlie Hardy, Mike Lavallee and Drew Petersen.
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://soundcloud.com/vacationsnyc
https://www.tiktok.com/@vacationsband
https://www.facebook.com/vacationsbandofficial/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0U7iI0Dk4Ojvi17nZboNO4
https://www.instagram.com/vacationsband_/
woozy guitar pop from newcastle, australia
The band was founded by lead singer Campbell Burns in 2015, joined by Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzotti and Joseph Van Lier. In 2018, they released their debut studio album Changes. In 2020, they released their second album Forever in Bloom, under Believe Records.
The band gained traction when their 2016 song "Young" from their EP Vibes went viral on TikTok. As of June 2023, the song has over 400 millions streams on Spotify. It was also certified gold in the United States, garnering over 500,000 sales.
Vacations, indie rock, alt pop, personal stories, lounge punk, jangle pop, confessionals, "Terms & Conditions" (Official Video), Australian indie rock band,
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://soundcloud.com/vacationsnyc
https://www.tiktok.com/@vacationsband
https://www.facebook.com/vacationsbandofficial/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0U7iI0Dk4Ojvi17nZboNO4
https://www.instagram.com/vacationsband_/
woozy guitar pop from newcastle, australia
The band was founded by lead singer Campbell Burns in 2015, joined by Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzotti and Joseph Van Lier. In 2018, they released their debut studio album Changes. In 2020, they released their second album Forever in Bloom, under Believe Records.
The band gained traction when their 2016 song "Young" from their EP Vibes went viral on TikTok. As of June 2023, the song has over 400 millions streams on Spotify. It was also certified gold in the United States, garnering over 500,000 sales.
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