The Vaccines
Combat Sports

The Londoners, The Vaccines, arrive at their fourth album after a seismic shift that could have abruptly ended a beautiful story, which began seven years ago with a modern indie rock milestone like their debut “What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?”

In the meantime, there has been everything; a second album still successful, and a third that didn’t work as it should have, testing the band’s resilience, compromised by the departure of the historic drummer Pete Robertson and the subsequent entry of Yoann Intonti behind the drums. With the subsequent permanent entry of keyboardist Timothy Lanham, the band regrouped and began working on what would become this new “Combat Sports.”

Intentionally entrusted to the productive care of an old hand like Ross Orton (his touch on Arctic Monkeys' “AM”), the new work initially aimed, according to leader Justin Young, for a decisive shift towards a more accessible and pop sound. However, over time, the project took the form of a marked return to origins, certified by the standout single “I Can’t Quit”; a robust, melodically perfect piece in true Vaccines style, endowed with one of the best refrains in the band’s career. Not to mention the excellent “Nightclub,” the piece that the Kaiser Chiefs have long been unable to write.

Other tracks that could have featured in their essential debut without blushing are the stunning “Surfing In The Sky” (the best of the lot by far, a “Wreckin Bar (Ra Ra Ra)” for the new generations) and the equally pounding “Out On The Street,” while the opener “Put It On A T-Shirt” dips the “Come Of Age” era sound into an enveloping 50’s flair.

Few concessions to the electronic turn of the previous episode, reduced to the sole (but superb) “Your Love Is My Favourite Band,” a potential super-single, while the original more pop project survives among the grooves of the convincing “Maybe (Luck Of The Draw),” “Take It Easy,” and “Someone To Lose,” less incisive but undoubtedly inspired, along with the addition of the gem “Young Americans,” a somber and unusual number for guitar and voice. It closes with “Rolling Stones,” dominated by horns and with a marked epic accent.

“Combat Sports” is a comeback in great style, a successful return to the origins with some new elements that bode well for the future of The Vaccines’ career.

Best track: Surfing In The Sky