Vacations are an Australian band already on the way up. Still early in their career, the Newcastle-formed indie rockers have already booked spots on Jimmy Kimmel, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and CBS Saturday Morning, and racked up well over a billion streams, not to mention almost 10 million monthly Spotify listens.
Vacations are a past nominee in the prestigious Global category at the Rolling Stone Australia Awards, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The band’s 2016 hit, “Young”, went viral on TikTok thanks to the ‘Knock’ trend, and the song was even used by the likes of Lizzo and Rosalía. Ever since, the band have garnered a huge overseas following and their home country is following suit.
Vacations’ most recent album, No Place Like Home, was released in January 2024, and they followed their third studio effort with a headline tour. They next have a string of US dates this year, including an appearance at Napa Valley’s BottleRock festival in May alongside the likes of Green Day, Justin Timberlake, and Noah Kahan. —Neil Griffiths
Read an exclusive interview with Vacations below. Check out the full Future of Music 2025 list here.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How was 2024 for you? What were your biggest achievements and favourite moments?
Vacations: Last year was great! We released our third album, No Place Like Home. I think a highlight for all of us was making our debut on US television, or sold-out shows in cities like Paris and Mexico City. I feel so proud of everyone around me that helps to make this all possible, it’s truly a privilege.
Music is an increasingly crowded and competitive field. What’s one thing that makes you stand out from other artists?
If anything, it’s our own self-branding as a “boyband”. Everyone within the band feels equal on stage, within the fandom, or how we present ourselves to the world. We’re all best friends first. There’s this genuine and wholesome presence when we’re all together, and I believe people gravitate towards it because it’s real and becoming increasingly rare.
What’s coming up for you in 2025 and beyond? Any big shows, notable releases?
We’re having a slow year. We’ve been touring non-stop across the world since the pandemic lifted and we can feel the fatigue from working so hard. I just moved to NYC, so I’m focusing on settling in and beginning a new chapter in my life. We’re all so far apart now, but we’re still working towards writing the next album. We have some recording sessions coming up which I’m really excited for.
Outside of that, there’s some festivals in May like Kilby Court Block Party! I’m honoured to be apart of that festival, the lineup has so many wonderful bands that inspire me. I’m also hoping to continue our festival, MATES, this year too, and bring it to NYC!
MATES is our own festival that shines a spotlight different communities to bring people together, with an emphasis on highlighting Australian artists to an international market. Our first US edition was last year in LA and it was a really beautiful experience to see it all come together!
