The Key Studio Sessions: Family Vacation

Philly indie-pop four-piece Family Vacation will catch your ear with jangley guitars, drifting vocals and a positive psychedelic sound. They were still getting their foothold in the scene when we first met them in 2012; their usual haunts at that time were basement shows and Temple rehearsal rooms. But there was very clearly something there; Luke Harsel’s contemplative lyrics, the nimble guitar licks he swaps with bandmate Cody Bluett, the band’s slightly left-of-center poppiness.

Their 2013 LP Trails showed them hitting their stride; the songs were more sophisticated, the production more polished, yet still raw and exciting. It reminded me a lot of early Dr. Dog and Modest Mouse…which is why it came as no surprise that the band recorded a cover of “Custom Concern” from the latter’s LP This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About for its Key Studio Session.

The band recently released its latest EP, YAARDS, which continues to develop their sound into adventurous territories. Opener “Pigeons” rocks out to a prog-jazz groove; closer “Darlene” crafts a spectral noisepop ambiance. In the middle is “Photograph,” one of Family Vacation’s poppiest songs to date. There’s an ace live rendition of that in the band’s Key session as well, alongside two as-yet-unreleased (and super catchy) new tracks that the band is prepping for its next LP.

Stream the performance below, download it at Soundcloud and catch Family Vacation live this Friday, May 1st for their EP release party at Kung Fu Necktie. More information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.