The Vaccines : Come of Age

What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? (QRO review) was preceded by some sweet, even-if-you’ve-heard-it-before garage-pop singles, and the debut kind of lived up or down to the record’s title – it was what you expected of a Vaccines full-length.  Follow-up Come of Age doesn’t live up to its title – The Vaccines are not any old or mature – but does see some advancement.

Once again, the strength of The Vaccines are in their singles, opener “No Hope” and especially second single “Teenage Icon”, which is the kind of catchy garage-pop one can’t help but enjoy.  And the rest of the album never reaches those heights, especially when the band eschews energy for sweetness – “Aftershave Ocean” and the following “Weirdo” are forgettable, though there is some better sway in “I Wish I Was a Girl” (which is done un-ironically, at least musically).

The Vaccines are not the most inspired or original band in the world, and even when they get do older, they probably never will be.  But they are starting to do more than just a few catchy garage-pop singles.

MP3 Stream: “Teenage Icon“