Hey, I’m Campbell from Australia’s favorite boy band, Vacations. I sing and play guitar. I started the project when I was 18 as an outlet for myself. I posted my first few songs on Tumblr. where it got Jake’s attention. He said he played bass and was eager to play together as a group some time, it rolled from there. After a year or so of being a three-piece and having rotating drummers, we landed on the line-up today with Joey on drums and Nate on guitar.

I’ve been told it sounds melancholic but hopeful. If anything, I’m just trying to document my life experiences as best as I can. I don’t always get it right, but I’m always trying regardless. Our discography is an open journal for everyone to peer inside, and everyone can interpret it in any way they wish. I guess that’s how I’d describe it. They’re memories for everyone to share, they’re like vignettes.

My Mum and Dad. Seriously. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without their influence. I grew up in a very musical household. Whilst my Mum and Dad weren’t musicians themselves, they had an extensive vinyl, CD, and cassette collection. I was constantly surrounded by music being played throughout the house, at nearly all hours of the day. I wasn’t taking notice of what songs were played, or what artists they loved, nothing like that. That sounds ignorant, but I was a child, I was more interested in video games and Warhammer. With all this music being played in the background though, I know that it affected me subconsciously. I joined the school band when I was 10 or so. I learnt piano, they gave me sheet music for the tuba. To this day I don’t understand why. I eventually picked up the guitar after spending too much time playing Guitar Hero III at my friend’s house. 

Throughout this time, my parents were supportive and nurtured my newfound passion. At this point, I started going through my parents’ records, I started to engage more and more with them as we had something to bond over. I will admit though, I thought that their taste was too “old” for me. A lot of the bands they were into were before my time, but it came full circle when I became an adult. I realised that my parents were fucking cool, they were onto something the entire time. I was an entitled brat who thought he knew everything. I owe my Dad, especially for showing me my favourite song ever written a few years ago, Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell. That song is perfection.

Writing music is a strange process. There’s no formula to it, no matter what some people might want to tell you. I think this is why I find it such a captivating and interesting pursuit. When I was writing “Next Exit”, I was going through a three-year writer’s block. I was able to write for my friends and others because I had a degree of separation. Yet, when it came to writing for myself, it was confronting. I had to break down my walls and over time, I did. Eventually, finally, I wrote a song and it just poured out of me. I didn’t know exactly what it meant at the time, or what inspired it, and that’s sometimes the case. There can be this build-up, and then release, and you’re processing all of these emotions and experiences. I remember when I wrote Next Exit, I just kept looping it because I was just happy to have written something after all that time. Plus it sounded good!

On reflection now, I’d say it’s inspired by my time touring American and our experiences navigating the music industry as a band, but also best friends. It questions if being stuck in a loop of repetition and routine is healthy, or if you need to break out to see what else is out there.