The Young Veins – Take A Vacation!

If Pretty Odd’s prominent Beatles-isms felt like a, er, pretty odd change of direction for Panic! At The Disco, Take A Vacation! offers perspective. The Young Veins sees Panic frontman Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker leave OMG-emo behind entirely to focus more consistently on chilled-out, Sixties-influenced pop.

While reluctant to echo the band’s claims that such a sound is somehow more ‘mature’ than their former musical pursuits, Take A Vacation! does feel satisfyingly grown-up and no-nonsense: twenty-nine minutes of hooks and charm that’s only hampered by a slight air of artifice. Though pre-emptively paved by Pretty Odd, the road from Panic! At The Disco to Laid-back At The Beach Party risks resembling forced entry into fresh markets rather than a natural expression of the songwriters’ passions. But their debut’s successes disperse suspicions, and as the duo settle into their new, eyeliner-less musical identities, they can only grow more convincing. [Chris Buckle]