Ever since I first heard the Vaccines' indie rock tune "A Lack of Understanding," I've been captivated by the band's infectious sound and lead vocalist Justin Young's magnetic vocals. The four Londoners who make up The Vaccines captured a post-punk sound packed full of youthful energy on their band's 2011 debut album What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?, and after hearing the record all the way through for the first time, I knew I had found my next group to obsess over. I hadn't been so taken with an album since Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, and several of the album's tracks have secured a spot on my daily playlist that is usually reserves for my all-time, good-no-matter-what-mood-i'm-in list of songs (ie. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" by Radiohead, Nirvana's Unplugged version of "The Man Who Sold the World,""Engine Driver" by the Decemberists, etc. etc.)
Tomorrow is the American release of the Vaccines' sophomore effort Come of Age, and as I noted in this review of the No Hope EP, the band turned the volume way up this time around. Retreating a bit from post-punk and leaning into the realm of punk rock, the band takes on the attitude of a classic, self-centered misfit youth and injects it with a healthy dose of sarcasm. The Vaccines poke fun at that angsty stage of life but also validates it, asserting that those unsatisfied and bored feelings are not exclusively reserved for lonely high school students. Young's vocal performance is less perfect in Come of Age, but fittingly so for this rawer and more intimate record. Check out the opening track of Come of Age, fittingly titled "No Hope," below!
And for those who haven't heard What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?, here's the track that made me fall in love with the four-piece outfit in the first place.
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