'Come Of Age' - The Vaccines

While The Vaccines' first album, 'What Did You Expect?', successfully revived the dying species that was guitar music, its title was an understated 'we tried our best, hope you like it' offering - this time round, they're fully aware they're good. 'Come Of Age', released September 3rd, is a fitting title for a band who have musically grown and matured greatly in the short space of year or so.  

Compared to the fun, youthful, hormone-fuelled record that was their first album, their second is grittier, edgier and altogether more honest. In tracks like 'Teenage Icon' and 'No Hope', Justin opens up about his insecurities as a frontman, resembling the ramblings of a confused teen with a lack of confidence. 
'All In Vain' is a surprising twist for the album, as is 'Aftershave Ocean'. Both are undoubtedly less fiery than what we're used to, but are quirky and brilliant nonetheless.

'Weirdo' is brooding and almost saddening, frontman Justin's sulky drawl once again laying bare his own uncertainty and introversion. Teenage listeners (and the teenagers inside slightly older listeners) can without a doubt sympathise here.

An unexpectedly ambiguous track on the album, 'I Wish I Was A Girl' is sultry and controversial yet somehow so sophisticated. The opening lyrics are deceiving: 'you walk into the room with refining poise, bewitching, enthralling all of the boys' leading us to believe that Justin is describing the object of his desire. Oh no. The guy envies her. It's smooth, sleek, and...may just leave you worryingly uncertain of your own identity. 

Ending the album on a belter seems now to be somewhat a tradition for the band, and I hope it's one that continues. Like the final track of their last album, 'Family Friend', 'Lonely World' is nostalgic, romantic, and equipped with a wailing, made-for-a-festival-crowd chorus. You can just picture their next outdoor gig; the sun setting, lighters in the air, and people smiling despite endless flying streams of beer and urine. Beautiful.

To summarise, 'Come Of Age' is an excellent album. If it was a human, it would be that one scruffy kid who crawled through puberty and came out devastatingly handsome on the other side. If you haven't bought it already - firstly; why on earth not? And secondly; you can buy it here.