The more beautiful things in life

The Vaccines first album used an interrogative ‘What did you expect from the Vaccines’ to draw us in, this time round it is a command ‘Come of Age’.

If they’d entitled the album coming of age it would have implied there was some kind of growing up which needed to be done or an immaturity to their first album, their second album is not so much a maturing, full of angsty relationship struggles, but a continuation of the sheer streak of brilliance which ran through ‘What did you expect?’.

The favourite song thus far is ‘I wish I was a girl’ with verses such as

Cause your appeal's an open door
That you float through in your haute couture
Dolce & Gabbana, McQueen Armani Prada
Von Furstenberg on Mulberry, Givenchy and Escada

It becomes very clear when you watch The Vaccines music videos that they are creating an air of indie band elite, self conscious of their genre and type yet fully embracing. The Vaccines video for ‘I always knew’ has no less than the great writer Ernest Hemmingway’s great granddaughter, model Dree Hemmingway. We’re now into the leagues of elite rock band come fashion icon image and The Vaccines fully adorn themselves in this persona.

For anyone who fancies seeing Justin Young pre-Vaccines, check out his recordings as a solo artists under the name of Jay Jay Pistolet.