Album Review: English Graffiti

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Charlie Arnedt, Co-Editor

Following the release of their 2012 album Come of Age, the British indie rock band The Vaccines released their third album, English Graffiti, on May 25, 2015. Sporting an even more lively sound and faintly psychedelic tones, English Graffiti marks a distinct shift in the Vaccines’ style. While retaining several characteristics of their previous work, nearly all the tracks on English Graffiti give an even bolder punch with thoughtful fills, powerful rhythms, and aggressive guitar work.

The first couple tracks are quite pop-ish, but are not terribly repetitive as typical pop-oriented songs can get. “Handsome,” “Dream Lover,” “Minimal Affection” and “20/20” form the bulk of the album’s first half. Each have thumping drum and bass parts, and each have a distinguished tone. In particular, the awesome quality and execution of “Dream Lover” and the edgy guitar of “20/20” stand out among the four starting tracks.

“(All Afternoon) In Love,” the fifth track, is not as good as the previous tracks and highlights the one consistent issue with the Vaccines’ work. The slow, droning piano ballad mixed with singular snare and bass parts is not the strong side of the band. In fact, the weaker tracks of their previous LPs tend to be the slower, more passionate ones. While there are solid guitar parts and vocals on “(All Afternoon) In Love,” it still sounds like the Vaccines have not obtained the right way of executing their slower, more serious tracks.

Thankfully the album picks back up its lost momentum after “(All Afternoon) In Love.” The next three tracks, “Denial,” “Want You So Bad” and “Radio Bikini” initially continue the slower attitude of “(All Afternoon) In Love,” but each are far better and more energetic. After the trippy finish of “Want You So Bad,” “Radio Bikini” comes crashing through with a relentless drive that is very reminiscent of the band’s earlier work. The last three tracks are a fitting conclusion for the album. “Maybe I Could Hold You” has some wonderful arpeggiating guitar parts and a forceful drum part, while “Give Me a Sign” showcases a pleasant lyrical performance matched with one of Justin Young’s best choruses yet. Finally, there’s the instrumental “Undercover,” which samples portions of previous tracks with intricate guitar parts interwoven over them.

While the band’s lyrical content is a barely inventive regurgitations of the indie pop genre, the instrumentation and “feel” of English Graffiti is unbelievably amazing. The band is on fire in virtually every track, their sound has a wonderful new vibe, and the songs are catchy. Now all the Vaccines’ have to do is break out into a more matured songwriting style, and we could easily have another Radiohead on our hands.