Following his acclaimed 2023 debut The Perks Of Being A Hypocrite, enigmatic European artist Cosmic Crooner returns with European Vacation, a passionate homage to the golden age of bossa nova, the allure of classic cinema and progressive soul music from the late 60s and 70s. It’s a lush, cinematic album inspired by David Axelrod, Serge Gainsbourg, Marvin Gaye, and Jorge Ben Jor. “I wanted to make a timeless album,” he says. “Something that transports you, like a great film.” Recorded live over four days without a click track and produced by Pieter Vonk, the album blends orchestral flair with suave, storytelling vocals in the tradition of Scott Walker, Frank Sinatra, and Roy Orbison. A lover of 1960s and ‘70s European cinema, Crooner also directs his own 16mm videos shot in southern Spain and featuring recurring characters like fictional music journalist Jonathan Bonanza. His songs drift through surreal, emotional dreamscapes like Crooners Bay, a place “where it’s okay to feel sad.” Cosmic Crooner remains a mysterious figure, part artist, part character, always a European pop star from nowhere in particular.