Rockers enjoying going own way

It sounds like one of those records that was lost and later found.

And the same could be said of the dudes who made it.

“Take A Vacation!” — the debut from classic pop throwbacks The Young Veins — comes on like a sugar rush of “Nuggets”-era gems, songs that could have been A.M. radio staples in the ’60s. With 11 tunes clocking in at less than 30 minutes, the disc is powered by a Kinks-worthy guitar rumble and sunbaked, Beach Boys-esque harmonies.

The two principals behind the Veins, lead singer/guitarist Ryan Ross and singer/guitarist Jon Walker, are best known as former members of Vegas pop rockers Panic! at the Disco.

Last July, they officially announced their departure from the group, preferring to follow their own muse.

“There was sort of a disconnect between me and Jon and the rest of the guys,” Ross says of leaving Panic! “Me and Jon thought that we were writing the best stuff that we ever did, and they were just unenthusiastic about it. I’m glad that instead of getting disheartened by that, we decided that maybe we should go ahead and follow this.

“We were having great success and all that, but we weren’t doing what we wanted to do,” he continues. “It was sort of feigning all of that. With this, we just wanted to make sure that it was real and genuine.”

The Young Veins’ vintage sound shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who’ve followed Ross’ career. Panic’s last disc, 2008’s “Pretty.Odd,” for which Ross wrote or co-wrote all but two of the album’s 15 songs, bore a strong Beatles influence as Ross’ musical tastes began to shift — which they’ve continued to do in his current project.

“I don’t think I listen to anything that I did when I was 17,” says Ross, who now lives in California. “I’ve changed a great deal. It sort of stems from stuff that I was familiar with as a really young kid. It was discovering new, old bands on our own, me and Jon, just digging through old records and stuff like that. To us, that’s the best rock ’n’ roll there ever was. It’s the most inspiring.”

Ross sounds particularly invigorated on “Vacation!” an album that’s hard to sit still to with its buoyant, infectious energy.

It’s a kick to listen to, just like, according to Ross, it was a kick to make.

“I think it’s the most fun album that I’ve ever made and also the most musically smart,” he notes. “But more importantly, me and Jon were just having a really great time. We sort of forgot that music was supposed to be fun for a couple of years. We just want to play music that we like.”

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.