The Vaccines - What did you Expect from the Vaccines?

(originally published by The Student)

Yes, another London-based four-piece come to try to steal your heart. The Vaccines have found their way into the public ear via the well-trodden path of fellow indiesters and friends Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale, but somewhere along the way they found a couple of electric guitars and a range of emotion rare in today's mainstream indie-pop.

What did you expect from the Vaccines? is populated entirely by songs which are teasingly short, and demonstrate a less-is-more attitude to song-writing. First track Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) gives us an almost impressionistic snapshot of youthful obsession at a scant 1:24 long, which may not have made it the best choice for a first single (it reached number 157 in the charts back in November 2010), but the perfect way to start an album. Described by Zane Lowe as 'The Hottest Record in the World' just following its release, this first song serves as a tantalising introduction to an album which is by turns sexy, melancholy or nostalgic. Wetsuit is a kind of energetic eulogy for childhood memories featuring waves of cymbals, a hint of keyboards and simple pleas of “for goodness' sake, let us be young”.

This is an album that should not be left to the confines of a set of speakers, and it's easy to see why the band will be supporting Arcade Fire at their Hyde Park show this summer. Norgaard, in particular, could not be anything but fantastic to witness live, charged with infectious energy even in recording. Even the slower Post Break-Up Sex or A Lack of Understanding are written with passion and emotion that oozes from your headphones and commands you to move. Foot-stomping drums abound alongside anthemic, repetitious choruses and lyrics which seem like songs the Ramones would have written if they just calmed down a little.

There is not a weak track on this album. These particular long-haired guitar-wielding Londoners may well be the ones to watch for this year. They've taken a winning formula and made it their own, and have even escaped the prototypical self-titled debut album. But then, What did you expect from the Vaccines?

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