Vacation Manor’s Nathan Towles and Cole Young delve into their heartfelt, endearing, and profoundly personal ‘Back to Town’ EP, a cozy and nostalgic collection that gracefully and honestly portrays life’s subtle changes. Covering themes such as fatherhood, anxiety, nostalgia, and the pains of growing older, the Virginia indie rock duo reflects on six significant personal moments in a poignant exploration of change, presence, and connection.
Stream: “Casio Cure” – Vacation Manor
“I’m not going anywhere easy… when the only heart you’ve got takes a beating, I’ll be here ‘til the damage is done.”
* * *
This modest commitment, nestled within the soothing lines of “Damage Is Done,” encompasses the essence of the entire album. Vacation Manor’s new EP Back to Town transcends merely documenting the process of growing up; it serves as a tribute to the present and a contemplation of remaining rooted amid life’s rapid transitions. Contemplating sleepless nights, intrusive thoughts, nostalgic places, and first milestones, these songs discover beauty in stillness, discomfort in movement, and significance in the mundane. Back to Town showcases Vacation Manor in their most candid and self-assured light — a heartfelt, nostalgic, and profoundly human representation of transition, connection, and acceptance.
Back to Town – Vacation Manor
High rises occupy the old parking lot,
Concrete covering what I
had forgotten to express to you
before you left.
A quick drive past the old blue house,
Remembering every friend
who passed out on the couch.
Yet I can’t claim to desire it back again,
Though it’s tinged with bittersweetness.
If you seek me out,
I’ve been lying low,
but when I return to town,
I wonder where you’re spending your time,
I’m not tuned in.
– “Back to Town,” Vacation Manor
Released on May 16th via Nettwerk Music Group, Back to Town serves as the much-anticipated follow-up to Vacation Manor’s self-titled debut from 2021. Composed and recorded over a span of two years at the duo’s home studio in Virginia, the EP signifies a major milestone for Nathan Towles (guitar, vocals) and Cole Young (drums), who have recently celebrated a decade together as a band, navigating through fatherhood, marriage, and the gradual evolution of adulthood. Highly personal and deliberate, these six tracks represent various milestones in Towles and Young’s shared and individual journeys, encapsulating moments of change, clarity, and emotional richness — marking a new chapter in Vacation Manor’s development while remaining faithful to the warmth and melodic simplicity that has always characterized them.
“This album helped us orient ourselves within the current season of life,” Nathan Towles explained to Atwood Magazine. “Since our last record, Cole has gotten married, I became a father and recently turned 30, and we marked 10 years as a band. As someone prone to sentimental and nostalgic feelings, I believe this record emphasizes the challenge of letting go of the past while looking forward with optimism.”
“It’s been incredibly special to take a step back and recognize how much this band has fostered close friendships and a wider community,” added Cole Young.
Vacation Manor © Nathan Grimes
The tension between the past and the future influenced every aspect of the creation process. “Musically, we aimed to refine and expand upon the elements we've always cherished while integrating the influences that have inspired us in recent years — like Oasis, The Sundays, or The Cure,” they explain. This evolution involved extensive exploration: “We crafted numerous songs for this album as we sought to define its identity,” they continue. “Several songs that we loved didn’t make the cut, as they seemed to fit into their own category, and in trying to find this record’s identity, I think we inadvertently laid the groundwork for our next project.”
Appropriately, the record opens with “January (Over & Over),” a charming, swirling pop-rock daydream that emanated from feelings of burnout and self-doubt, igniting the entire EP's momentum. It captures the ascent from a low point, delivering a dreamy, impactful release of catchy and cathartic sounds intended to remind us that we are not alone in our struggles. “A few years ago at a New Year’s party, I overheard many conversations where people discussed their goals and resolutions for the year,” Towles reminisces. “Listening to them amplified my feelings of fatigue and burnout during that season, leading to some anxiety about feeling directionless. Strangely, that moment of acknowledging my own lack of inspiration sparked the idea for this song.”
Driven by warm harmonics and a smooth groove, the track — highlighted in Atwood Magazine’s 109th Editor’s Picks — transforms inertia into action, embodying the despair of feeling stuck and the subtle yet significant shift that occurs once you vocalize it. “It started messing with your head,
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Nathan Towles and Cole Young of Vacation Manor delve into their heartfelt, endearing, and profoundly personal ‘Back to Town’ EP, a cozy and nostalgic compilation that gracefully and truthfully encapsulates the subtle shifts in life. Addressing themes such as fatherhood, anxiety, nostalgia, and the pains of aging, the Virginia indie rock duo contemplates six significant milestones in a poignant exploration of change, awareness, and relationships.