Vacations (band)
Vacations | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels |
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| Members |
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| Website | vacationsband |
Vacations is an Australian indie rock band formed in 2015 in Newcastle. The group consists of lead songwriter and vocalist Campbell Burns, bassist Jake Johnson, lead guitarist Nate Delizzotti and drummer Joseph Van Lier.[5] Esquire called Vacations “Australia’s Greatest Boy Band.”[[6]
Vacations has over one billion streams across socials with 8 million monthly users on Spotify.[7][8]
History
After leaving high school, Campbell Burns began writing and recording "sad boy songs" and posting them to his Tumblr account. His friend Jake Johnson heard the tracks and the two started creating music alongside Nate Delizzotti and Joseph Van Lier, forming Vacations in 2015.[9]
They describe their sound as "woozy guitar pop", combining indie pop with elements of jangle and lo-fi.[10] With the release of their EPs, Days in 2015 and Vibes in 2016, Vacations started gaining a following on SoundCloud and YouTube.
In 2018, they released their debut studio album Changes. The single “Telephones” is certified Platinum in the US. The band recorded and published their first two EP’s and their debut studio album by themselves with no management nor PR. Their sophomore album, Forever in Bloom, was released in 2020.[11][12][13]
In April 2022, their single "Young" from 2016 went viral from a TikTok trend, when fans used the song to soundtrack scenes from series Skins, featuring the character, Cassie.[14] "Young" was certified gold in the United States, Canada and Poland.[15] It has over 420 million streams as of June 2023 and placed the band on Australia's most-played artists on Spotify.[16] In 2023, Vacations embarked on a 30-date co-headlining tour of North America with fellow Australian indie rock band Last Dinosaurs.
In mid-2023, Burns moved to Los Angeles, saying that "[t]here's a lot more going on in the [United] States for the band right now compared to Australia". The move as well as his diagnosis with obsessive–compulsive disorder, influenced the themes of the band's third studio album, No Place Like Home, released in January 2024.[17][18][19]
In 2024, Vacations was named as one of Pandora’s "Artists To Watch" in rock category. They made their American television debut on CBS Morning’s Saturday Sessions in 2024, performing “Next Exit,” and a few weeks later, on Jimmy Kimmel Live.[20] “Next Exit” has 2.6 million views on YouTube.[21] Vacations performed “Midwest” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[22]
Vacations curated the festival MATES, which featured Puma Blue, Claud, Yot Club, Ian Sweet, Kacy Hill, Jaguar Jonze, and Waax[23].[24] Vacations have performed at festivals like 2025’s Harvest Rock BottleRock, Kilby Block Party,[25] 2024’s Portside Festival, Outlandia Festival, London Calling, 2023’s All Things Go, All Points East,[26] 2022’s Austin City Limits,[27] and in 2018, SXSW.[28]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Changes |
|
| Forever in Bloom |
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| No Place Like Home |
|
EPs
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Days |
|
| Vibes |
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| Vacations on Audiotree Live |
|
Certified Singles
| Title | Year | Album | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Young" | 2016 | Vibes | |
| "Telephones" | 2018 | Changes |
Awards and nominations
Rolling Stone Australia Awards
The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Vacations | Rolling Stone Global Award | Nominated | [33] |
References
- ^ "Conoce a la banda australiana Vacations y su álbum "Vibes & Days"". rutarock.com. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Murray, Robin. "Vacations Share Exuberant New Album 'No Place Like Home'". Clash. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ March, Kim. "Vacations Break Out of a Behavioral Loop in the Video for New Single 'Next Exit'". Flood. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Vacations - 'Changes'". soundsbetterwithreverb.com. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Wallen, Doug (13 January 2024). "Vacations shine light, bright sounds on dark lyrical themes". The Australian. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Checking your browser before redirecting". www.esquire.com.au. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Green, Stephen. "Triple J Tap Vacations After Over One Billion Streams". Archived from the original on 2025-09-13. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ "Vacations: Future of Music 2025". Rolling Stone Australia. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ "From Newy backyards to world tours, take a trip with indie sweethearts Vacations". Triple J. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Dillon, Olivia (18 September 2020). "Album Of The Week: Vacations Release Another Well-Crafted Album, Proving They Are 'Forever in Bloom'". Livewire. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Gallagher, Ali (2020-09-06). "Vacations share new single 'Actors' ahead of their second album". NME. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Bell, John (3 May 2023). "Vacations: 'We completely sidelined the industry'". Ticketmaster. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Chrisfield, Bryget (11 January 2024). "Vacations: 'How Much Do I Have To Achieve To Be Recognised By My Own Country?'". The Music. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Checking your browser before redirecting". www.esquire.com.au. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ a b c Currell, James (26 April 2022). "Australian D.I.Y. Band Vacations Go Gold In The U.S. & Canada For Viral Single 'Young'". Nettwerk Music Group. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Green, Stephen (19 June 2023). "Triple J Tap Vacations After Over One Billion Streams". The Music. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Vacations' Campbell Burns On New Album 'No Place Like Home': OCD, Overcoming Writer's Block & Battling The Algorithm | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ "IMT 20: Vacations Search For Home On Their Sun-Drenched Third LP". UPROXX. 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Campbell, Miles (2024-03-26). "Interview: Vacations' 'No Place Like Home' Is a Roadmap for Finding Inner Peace". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Only Live Music Videos (2024-01-26). Vacations - Next Exit - Live @ Jimmy Kimmel 2024 01 25. Retrieved 2026-02-10 – via YouTube.
- ^ VACATIONS (2023-04-14). Vacations - Next Exit (Official Music Video). Retrieved 2026-02-10 – via YouTube.
- ^ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2024-02-09). "Midwest" - Vacations. Retrieved 2026-02-10 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Tour Diary: Vacations". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ "Beddy Rays Drop Second Album 'Do What Ya Wanna'". Rolling Stone Australia. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ "Vacations at Kilby Block Party in Utah May 15- May 18". THE LUNA COLLECTIVE. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Bradbury, Sarah (2023-08-26). ""It's wild to see the crowd resonate with your songs when you're from the other side of the world": Campbell Burns on Vacations at All Points East". The Upcoming. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ McVay, Nathan (2022-10-15). "Austin City Limits: SZA, Genesis Owusu, VACATIONS and Phoenix shine on Day One of ACL Weekend 2". The AU Review. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Fuamoli, Sosefina (2018-04-02). "Tour Diary: Hitting SXSW with Campbell Burns and Newcastle's Vacations". The AU Review. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2025 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Vacations: 'How Much Do I Have To Achieve To Be Recognised By My Own Country?'". The Music. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Vacations Go Double Platinum In The USA". The Music. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^ "Newcastle Indie Band Vacations Rack Up A Second Platinum Single In US". The Music. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ "Troye Sivan, Kylie Minogue & Dom Dolla Among 2024 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards Nominees". Rolling Stone Australia. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.