There’s something almost elemental about The Vaccines’ desire to have their name up in the biggest lights possible. It’s something that has been a little at odds with their staple diet of unfussy pop-rock workouts, but ‘English Graffiti’ might help in redressing that imbalance.
While the record begins with Handsome, the sort of giddy garage charge that was so at home on their debut, there’s something immediately different about the presentation. Its more prosaic moments are mashed into the dust by an unashamedly brash production job, which sends guitar lines skittering as Justin Young spits out a few hundred syllables a minute.
With input from producers Dave Fridmann and Cole M. Greif-Neill, whose chop-and-change approach is noticeable, The Vaccines’ palette has broadened. Here, along with the sugary hooks of old, are songs to bolster their stadium-filling hopes.
Dream Lover is riff-hungry and possesses an infectious swagger, Minimal Affection has a louche charm despite the empty heartache of its lyrics. (All Afternoon) In Love is a quite gorgeous ballad.
They are comfortably among the band’s finest moments and, in truth, a little too good for some of the competition here. Unlike the opener, 20/20 drops the ball after a promising opening, while Want You So Bad aims for atmospheric but comes off as airy and lightweight. After the album’s mid-point wander into new sounds, Radio Bikini, not a bad song when viewed out of context, can’t elude its rote beginnings.
The Vaccines are already a far bigger deal now than at any point in their career to date, but here they elicit the feeling that we’re only now getting to know them at anything beyond surface level. ‘English Graffiti’ finds them at a crossroads.
The Vaccines Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue November 10 2015 - BLACKPOOL Empress Ballroom
Thu November 12 2015 - PLYMOUTH Plymouth Pavilions
Fri November 13 2015 - CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
Sun November 15 2015 - BOURNEMOUTH BIC
Mon November 16 2015 - BRIDLINGTON Spa Theatre
Tue November 17 2015 - WOLVERHAMPTON Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Thu November 19 2015 - BRIGHTON Centre
Fri November 20 2015 - NOTTINGHAM Capital FM Arena
Sun November 22 2015 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Mon November 23 2015 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
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