Singer/songwriter Kenny Vasoli has always constructed
Vacationer's songs from the perspective of a hip-hop beatmaker, recording lush instrumental parts and chopping them up like samples, then laying sung (rather than rapped) lyrics on top. While writing and recording the 2018 opus Mindset,
Vacationer's most accomplished work to date, Vasoli felt compelled to work on an entirely unrelated album of songs that didn't need vocals. His bandmates contribute some instrumental parts, but all of it was put together in Vasoli's home studio, and it has the feeling of a rough, privately helmed project rather than a fully produced group effort. Even though the average track time is about a minute shorter than that of
Vacationer's previous albums, and Vasoli's warm, earnest vocals are absent, the music is still easily recognizable as
Vacationer. The sweeping strings, tantalizing vibraphones, and busy arrangements of laid-back tones are all still present, and the mood isn't dramatically different. Still, the drums on tracks like the dramatic "Treat" are slightly more booming, and without lyrics there's room for more twisted, surprising sample choppery, as on "Rising." Some tracks lean on subdued sentiments, such as "Tapedeck" or "Submerge," while the bubbly synths and muffled,
Clams Casino-esque voices of "Kilimanjaro" approach psychedelia from a different angle than the typical
Vacationer song. The scattered chimes, bongos, and vibes of "Autofocus" resemble a disrupted form of easy listening, while "Tranquilo" is a chopped-and-screwed lazy downriver float. While not as loungey or tropical-sounding as
Monster Rally, a similar blend of exotica and instrumental hip-hop,
Wavelengths is an equally worthwhile diversion. ~ Paul Simpson