The Vaccines have popped back into the music scene with the release of their latest single ‘Heartbreak Kid’.
The London based quartet – known for blessing our ears with such tracks as ‘Teenage Icon’ and ‘If You Wanna’ – are looking to reclimb the indie-rock ladder with new album Pick-up Full of Pink Carnations releasing 12th January 2024.
Opening with a chunky guitar line, ‘Heartbreak Kid’ floats into a light, upbeat verse, powered with a strong combination of fast bass guitar and steady drums.
This is then countered with a punchy chorus, very reminiscent of The Killers’ record ‘Caution’. For me, they’re both the kind of tune that you can imagine blasting while driving in the sun with the windows down, as the powerful lyrics and relaxing guitar solo leave you warm and comforted.
While the lyrics during the chorus are a little uninspired, with the repetition of “Let your heart break kid” – fun but not necessarily ‘deep’ – the verse makes up for it with meaningful, longing lines of lost love and growth.
“Loss has always been in not just our lyrics, but our sound as well,” frontman Justin Young told NME. “There’s a sense of nostalgia and looking in the rearview mirror and wondering if what you left behind is better than what you’re heading towards.”
“Something I’ve said about our music so many times is there’s euphoria and melancholia in equal measure. I don’t think this is a sad or depressing record – I actually think it’s quite hopeful and euphoric – but I do think it has these melancholic undertones.”
You can learn more about their new album Pick-up Full of Pink Carnations, as well as information on their latest tour on their website.
Words by Tom Moorcroft
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