Review – Bomb the Music Industry “Vacation” LP

Bomb The Music Industry – Vacation LP – Bomb the Music Industry might be one of the best cases for vinyl around. The band’s music has been infamously offered online, legally, for free or for donations from fans. So a great way to still support the band (and the only way to get physical versions of most of the albums) has been in the form of vinyl, previously through Asian Man Records, and now via Really Records, a collaboration between BTMI’s Quote Unquote Records and You Make It.

The debut for the label and latest from BTMI is Vacation, 11 new tracks from the New York music collective. And in a strange way, it sounds as though the band is maturing a bit with this release, though in a way only a band like Bomb the Music Industry could “mature,” so it’s no reason to start crying about how the old stuff was better.

Vacation may not be BTMI’s best yet, depending on the tastes of fans (I still love them more chaotic Goodbye Cool World), but it is a fantastic album from start to finish. And that’s an important distinction – Vacation is not a collection of tracks, but a true album.

It begins with an extended, indie-rific intro, with Jeff Rosenstock coming in with sort of monotone vocals in “Campaign for a Better Weekend,” creating a good build to the band coming in full force. The band has produced the album well to create a detailed sonic atmosphere, and the vinyl does a fantastic job of presenting everything that’s going on in this song, among others. And it is in this opening track that the packaging starts to make more sense.

Vacation’s front cover art features the silhouette of a man on the beach, and “Vacation” repeated several times and “Bomb the Music Industry” in the skyline. The inside of the gatefold is a long clothes line on a beach with palm trees in the background. The back and sleeve art feature similar beach scenes, but none of these are presented in vibrant colors, rather muted tones, as if simulating the fading of age.

This is reflective of the music to be found on Vacation. That is not to say the band is fading by any means, but Vacation is more of a relaxed effort for BTMI, more reflective than exploding with chaos. The band also plays around with a lot of lo-fi sounds on Vacation, with things like chimes cutting through the lower tones, and it helps a song like “Hurricane Waves” transition well into the poppier intro of “Sick, Later.” The band also finds plenty of room to keep the surf vibe intact, with tracks like “Why, Oh Why, Oh Why (Oh Oh Oh Oh).” Rosenstock also still has plenty of memorable lyrics, such as the line “I get embarrassed when I hear my voice, and it’s not like in my head” on the aptly titled “Vocal Coach.”

All in all, Vacation is another fantastic album from Bomb the Music Industry, and a great way to launch the Really Records label. The vinyl packaging is solid all around, and a great fit for the music contained within. The sound of the record is phenomenal, and comes in several pressing variants. The particular record I received is a clear vinyl, dipped halfway in pink. It’s a cool effect, and though the dipped side actually feels a bit heavier, it plays perfectly fine despite its slightly lopsided nature. And this may be one of the better albums to hear this year on such a fantastic vinyl release.

Review by: Bill Jones

Sound/Press Quality: 5/5
The Album: 4/5
Artwork and Packaging: 5/5

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