Vacation's 'Mouth Sounds #2699' Is a Breezy 26 Minutes of Loud, Grungy Rock

On each one of Vacation’s releases—and there have been quite a few of them—the Cincinnati band has made an attempt at showcasing the obnoxiously loud gut-punch they’re capable of delivering in a live setting. It’s a tall order for any studio engineer, and no one’s seemed to get it exactly right but dammit they’re trying! The band’s latest effort, Mouth Sounds #2699, comes pretty close.

John Curley of The Afghan Whigs took a crack at engineering this one, and the recording does a dutiful job of committing the band’s grimey, lo-fi pop-rock songs to tape. Mouth Sounds #2699 doesn't even crack the 30-minute mark and feels like it’s falling apart at the seams the entire time, until its final song where it finally does. The album's closer gets warbly and shakey like an old record that got left in the sun until it abruptly just cuts off.

Mouth Sounds #2699 is out on July 27 via Let’s Pretend Records. Listen to the whole thing below and catch Vacation on tour.

7/26 - Bloomington, IN @ Root Cellar
7/27 - Cincinnati, OH - MOTR
7/28 - Lexington, KY - Best Friend Bar
7/29 - Chattanooga, TN - DYWH
7/30 - Nashville, TN
8/1 - Louisville, KY @ Butchertown
8/2 - Evansville, IN @ PG
8/3 - Carbondale, IL @ PK’s
8/4 - Milwaukee, WI @ Center St. Festival
8/5 - Chicago, IL @ The Burlington
8/6 - Kalamazoo, MI
8/7 - Detroit, MI @ Garden Bowl
8/8 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s
8/9 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Camp Clarke
8/10 - Lancaster, PA
8/11 - Gloucester, MA
8/12 - Salem, MA @ Opus
8/13 - Boston, MA @ Charlie’s Kitchen
8/14 - NYC @ Mercury Lounge
8/15 - Philadelphia, PA
8/16 - New Brunswick, NJ @ Monty Hall
8/17 - Baltimore, MD @ Downsquares
8/18 - Washington DC @ Comet Ping Pong
8/19 - Columbus, OH @ Cafe Bourbon St.
8/20 - Dayton, OH @ Blind Bob’s