''Vacation'' is the debut studio album by Australian

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

duo

Big Scary Big Scary is an Australian musical duo formed in Melbourne in 2006, by Tom Iansek and Joanna Syme. The pair have released several EPs and five studio albums. Their 2013 album '' Not Art'' was nominated for the Australian Album of the Year at ...

. It was released on 7 October 2011. The album debuted and peaked at number 37 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

. At the

J Awards of 2011 The J Award of 2011 is the seventh annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. The announcement comes at the culmination of Ausmusic Month (November). For the fourth year, three a ...

, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.

Background

Big Scary formed in 2006 by

Tom Iansek Tom Iansek is a Melbourne-based Australian record producer and songwriter, best known for his work with #1 Dads, Big Scary, and No Mono. Iansek has produced music for Emma Louise, Airling, Lanks, and Slum Sociable. Career 2006-present: Big Sc ...

and Joanna Syme, released seven extended plays between 2008 and 2010 and were a constant fixture on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

in these years. In July 2011, the duo released "Mixtape" followed by "Gladiator" in September 2011, alongside the album's announcement.

Critical reception

''Beat Magazine'' called ''Vacation'' "an immensely interesting album" highlighting "Falling Away" as the album highlight saying "simple yet evocative piano is driven by steady percussion, all of which is accentuated by dreamy vocals." Melissa Holden from ''Purple Sneakers'' called "Leaving Home" as "the pinnacle of the album" saying " tis a beautiful ballad which exquisitely combines heartfelt lyrics, driving drums, a simple yet effective riff and a culminating climax which seems to fill the listener with an inexplicable sense of fullness. The last minute of the track is pure perfection, with a swooning synth, grungy guitar and emotive vocal." Holden said "The album is packed to the punch with hitting tracks that convince the listener to the musician's talent in both songwriting and instrumentation. If you haven't already bought the album, I fully insist you go out there and support this Melbourne duo, you won't regret it." Dom Alessio from ''Triple J'' said "What I love so much about Big Scary's debut is how diverse it is. They effortlessly go from

White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wi ...

-esque rockers like 'Purple' to plaintive ballads like 'Bad Friends', and the record still manages to sound cohesive and unified. ''Vacation'' beautifully embodies the "less is more" philosophy of Big Scary's fantastic, minimalist pop music."

Background

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References