The Great Vacation. Johan

A week ago I wrote that where alternative pop is concerned there's Johan and then the rest, a pack possibly led by The Maureens, based on the band's beautiful new album 'Everyone Smiles'. The question is whether this still rings true. The Great Vacation definitely is not an album that I'd identify as a Johan album, except that Jacco de Greeuw's voice gives the band away immediately.

The singles, 'Cincinnati', up front indicated a change of direction already. Totally new elements to Johan's music and a few very recognisable sequences. My first listening session confirmed my ambivalent feelings towards The Great Vacation, based on two singles. The question was what happens after multiple listening sessions?

Johan is around since 1996, when its debut album was released. With long pauses new albums were released, with number 2, 'Pergola', as my absolute favourite. (This will probably never change.) After a more than 10 years hiatus the band returned in the late 10s with 'Pull Up' and six years down the road with The Great Vacation.

"It's time for change", De Greeuw sings in 'Time For Change' and lives up to it, without burning his bridges. The more I listen to The Great Vacation the more Johan bits fall into place and I start liking the album more and more. The feeling I'm left with, is that De Greeuw has given up searching for the perfect alternative pop song and found other avenues instead, enriching Johan's music no little. See the more alternative parts in 'Cincinnati' or the way the band rocks in a more direct way, like in 'Fly On The Wall'. Don't forget noticing the poppy organ bits in the song.

Promo photo: Han Ernest

A third conclusion I arrive at, is that Johan is not out to, primarily, please. A little more darkness is let into the music, giving depth to several of the new songs. Lead guitarist Robin Berlijn has that light and shade in his style of playing underscoring Jacco de Greeuw's singing. Without doing anything extremely radical, Johan has reinvented itself in a very successful way. The band sounds refreshed and new, next to decidedly older, where the lead vocals are concerned. This definitely is next level Johan.

Something new is always scary. It seems like the worse thing that could happen to fans of a band with a long legacy, is having to listen to new songs and especially live. Johan decided not to care, jump the line (and not hold it!) and hopefully will play a lot of the songs on their upcoming tour. If The Great Vacation keeps growing as it did in the past weeks, it is going to be a favourite album. Of 2024 and of Johan and I did not see that coming after the first singles and listening session.

Wout de Natris

You can order the album here:

https://excelsior-recordings.com/products/johan-the-great-vacation