The vaccines are due to release an album on the 12th january titled Pick-up full of Pink Carnations. “Love to Walk Away” is their latest released cut from that same album. This song is a mix of punk, rock and pop. Making what the public ultimately calls indie rock. The release has two songs “Love to Walk Away” and “Lunar eclipse”. Both songs are full of energy, very danceable and therapeutic with catchy hooks. As long as there are new faces, this branch of indie rock will surely carry on. I ain’t complaining!

The songs are very snappy and to the point. The choruses hit where you think they are going to hit and dynamically build up their intensity with each new chorus. There are no long, complicated bridges and all the lyrics are pretty straight forward as well. The Vaccines mentioned in an interview that the main theme of the album is not knowing where you are heading. They said that this made the fact that the songs knew exactly where they were heading (having a strong sense of direction) a bit striking on the emotions. Often, when artists juxtapose two completely opposite themes the emotional effect can be very very enhanced. You can choose any two elements in a song but the most common would probably have to be putting for example very sad lyrics over a happy beat. This can make the song as a whole even more sad than the same sad lyrics over sad beats. Just to clarify what I am talking about, here are some other songs and how they use opposite elements:

1. “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People” (upbeat catch melody, but dark lyrics).

2. “Hey Ya!” - OutKast (Catchy, infectious and danceable music but the lyrics touch on the challenges of modern relationships).

3. “Bullet” - Hollywood Undead (Upbeat music but sad lyrics)

4. “Born in the USA” - Bruce Springsteen (anthemic upbeat song but the lyrics talk about the struggles of a post vietnam war veteran and their struggles).

If you don’t know about The Vaccines, I’ll provide some brief history. The band formed in London, 2010. The original lineup consisted of Justin Hayward-young (vocals, guitar), Freddie Cowan (guitar, vocals), Àrni Àrnason (bass, vocals), and Pete Robertson (drums). The original sound they gained attention for can be described as energetic, catchy, drawing from genres like punk and new wave. They quickly rose to fame after their debut album “What Did you Expect from The Vaccines” gained traction. That is a pretty fast increase and speaks to not only the chemistry within the band but also the individual talent of all the band members. A lot of bands and artists have to try for so much longer than a year before they break out of the noise. Go to YouTube and look at the oldest videos posted by the industry mogul Radioactive Dragons. It is pretty interesting to see how they started. Anyway, back when they started the music of The Vaccines was characterized by upbeat tempos, infectious melodies and straightforward lyrics. I think their latest double single pretty much stays true to that description as well and also gives a promising direction for where their sound is heading in the future. I’ll stay tuned in as long as they do!

Author: Peter Källman

Peter Källman is a writer from Sweden who loves playing in bands, writing reviews and going to live shows!