Vacant Weekend’s “The Windowsill” is a decidedly mature reflection on the mental turmoil of young adulthood

The transition into high school is a pivotal time for many, but for Vacant Weekend it was also the beginning of a whirlwind journey to come. Having bonded in year 7 over their shared love of music, what started as the passion project of three friends has now developed into securing slots at Kendall Calling and Victorious Festival, alongside their own headline tours across the UK.

Now, with their sophomore project on the horizon, the trio – consisting of Alex (vocals, guitar), Connor (guitar), and Isaac (bass) – narrate their experiences of navigating life in your early 20s. Latest single “The Windowsill”. was written after the band reunified over their shared adolescent roots in Cumbria, providing an uninhibited take on the realities of being a young adult. “‘Cause we are / Just scared kids in the bodies of adults / Holding our lives by our finger tips,” increasingly desperate vocals lay out.

Expanding on the inspiration behind the single, they explain “I think inside us there was a youthful naivety in the belief that our problems wouldn’t follow us - that they only existed in a certain place, at a certain time in our lives. Eventually the song took on another meaning about self-acceptance, ego death and experiencing life for as finite as it is.”

Pairing the emotional heaviness of musings with expansive, buoyant instrumentation, it’s a defiantly upbeat number that finds reassurance in the universality of their feelings. A vibrant showcase of the band’s genre-bending style, the track intertwines elements of disco, Motown, and ‘00s indie rock to create an idiosyncratic melting pot. Building upon their signature guitar work, it places twanging riffs and irresistible grooves at the forefront, underpinned by writhing drum rolls and pulsating tones.

Whether it be through offering stark ruminations on the pressure to fit societal expectations or embracing the imperfections of their younger selves, Vacant Weekend lead with striking candour as they deconstruct the reality of coming-of-age in the modern day. Combining a stream-of-consciousness approach to songwriting with buzzy displays of eclecticism, they continue to offer a unique perspective on the world around them.

With their forthcoming project set to arrive in just under a month’s time, Vacant Weekend are refusing to place themselves in any sort of box, and – in the process – cementing themselves as a refreshing new name to watch.