For most people in the U.S., the song “Turning Japanese” is more famous than the band that wrote it, The Vapors. The new wave act that first formed in 1978 made a splash across the globe with that incredibly catchy track. Released on the album Clear New Days, it propelled the band into the spotlight, yet by the time their follow-up album Magnets was released, label issues and poor marketing led to poor album sales and the band broke up.
Thankfully “Turning Japanese” lived on, and in 2016, the band reformed for some sporadic live dates, and then in 2020 released their first new album in over 35 years, Together. While that was certainly a solid work, with their latest album Wasp in a Jar, the band has truly made a memorable comeback.
Tracks like “Hit the Ground Running” do just that, buzzing right from the start with sugary hooks that capitalize on the band’s knack for using repetition (as they did with “Turning Japanese”) to drill their choruses into your brain. The album is full of these delectable new wave/pop rock nuggets, from “The Human Race” to “Nonstop Radio” to “Together Again”. The album highlight though has to be “Miss You Girl”, which uses that repetition not only as ear candy, but also to to enhance the emotional pull of the song.
One of the strongest releases of the year so far, The Vapors are certainly back and worth rediscovering. Listen to Wasp in a Jar here.
The Indy Review 