Vacation “Vacation” 2011. Let’s Pretend Records, the debut LP from Cincinnati garage rockers. I’ve been holding onto this record for a bit now in hopes that Vacation would be swinging back through Milwaukee for a show. I think the last time they were here was a couple of years ago, maybe for my pal Claire’s birthday, and looking at their Bandcamp page (if it’s up-to-date) they haven’t been out on tour for almost 2 years. Their live performances are wild and dynamic, body-tossing energy abounds. Vacation is noisy, buzzy and highly bop-able – they definitely have some pop sensibilities behind the fuzz. “People Watching” is one of the more pop-forward on Vacation. My top pick is the ass-shaking “Co-Workers.” I also like the gritty “Bleach Buzz,” the lo-fi garage-thundering “Cop Knock” and the frenetic “Sun and Moon.”

There isn’t a lot out there video-wise (though their name is pretty difficult for googling) but here is a live performance from 2011 of what I’m fairly certain is the track “Christopher Columbus Was Not a Hero” off of Vacation.