It’s an unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon. I am en route to Clinton Hill, Brooklyn after a pleasant jaunt up to Washington Heights, where I discussed life, love, babies, and new beginnings with an old friend. The day has already begun to transform into one that I will later recognize as a defining moment of 2013. I am about to meet up with Matt Young and Kenny Vasoli of the band Vacationer. Their debut album, Gone, is a soothing journey inward from start to finish. I dove into it months ago with a couple friends while upstate contemplating life's choices and the paths we were all on. Gone played for 48 hours straight on surround sound and penetrated our minds in ways only the individual experiencing it would understand. The doors were wide open with no intention of closing, the grass was plush, and the sky was the clearest blue I may have ever seen. Summer had begun.

Now a near seven months after that weekend, I am about to embark on yet another journey with Vacationer as they pass through town and gear up to play a sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom. Their tour—in support of Niki and the Dove—began earlier in the week and extends through the rest of the month. The idea of alone time when in constant motion is almost unfathomable, and so, in an effort to not allow the band to sit still, together we set out to explore our city surroundings and dive into what makes Vacationer chill out.