The new single from Stephen Clair will resonate with many listeners who dreamed of escaping the place they grew up but, all these years later, realise that their hometown wasn’t so bad. ‘Vacation Back Home’ has the sound and sentiment of a song to soundtrack your summer. Brandon Morrison’s warm bass underpins Clair’s tuneful guitar and wearily melodic voice. The language is direct, disarming and easy to associate with as Clair sings: “There’s no one left // Around here // I want to kiss // I sleep // Like a baby // In the house // Where I used to live.” The footage put together by film-maker Tom Moore for the video reinforces that nostalgic feeling.
Clair says about the song’s impact: “Well, this song is the surprise hit of the season for me. I love the chill vibe of this song, and its simple message, which has turned out to be meaningful for so many fans and new fans. When I was doing an in-studio on WKZE with Rick, the music director there, he told me how all these people were calling in about that song. One woman, he said, called him up on the phone and said, ‘Rick! I need to hear that song in my truck every day on my way home.’ It’s got those summery going-back-home vibes. Plain-spoken, and undeniable.”
The song is taken from Clair’s ninth album, ‘To the Trees’, an album in the truest sense, on which the songs hang together well as part of a cohesive whole. There’s an endearing and appealing simplicity to his quality songcraft and good-humoured perspective on the world and what it means to be human. He explains his approach to writing: “I like to zero in on the small stuff. Our biggest moments in life, our hopes, triumphs and losses can often be summed up by looking at the crumpled cover of a magazine on the coffee table, rather than the whole living room. I learned that as much from reading Raymond Carver as I did from listening to Bobby Charles.” This is heartfelt and earnest song-writing, perfect for the beginning of a week in summer.
