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Rating: Let's make two things clear right away: firstly, this is not a bad album. Having reached their second effort, the Vaccines deliver this Come Of Age which, although it won't change your life, is likely to stay on your iPod for a while, which is already a good result these days. The second thing to say is that the Vaccines are four revival enthusiasts like no other: who hasn't thought of the Ramones singing "Hey Oh, Let's Go" while listening to most of the tracks on our debut album? Switching genres, the same can be said of the fourth track on this second album, "All In Vein", which so much recalls George Harrison's Sweet Lord. But let's explain better.
Returning to the first point: this is fundamentally not a bad album because it is composed of decent songs, where the Vaccines once again show they can find great melodies with a rare immediacy, and feel perfectly at ease in the role of Next Big Thing of the English scene, a role assigned to them last year by the press, after the flourishing and still vivid What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? Listen to the single "No Hope", not original but still convincing, "Teenage Icon" and "Ghost Town", with guitar riffs à la Arctic Monkeys or the trio "Weirdo" - "Bad Mood" - "Change Of Heart Pt.2", where they still show they possess the cheerful indie-rock vibe of the first album. A significant increase in guitar solos is also noticeable, which were scarce in the previous album.
However, the album is not without its downfalls: in an attempt to mature and vary the themes of their debut, the purely rock sound has often been softened to make way for slower and less effective songs, in which the four from London show they are not at ease, as for example in "Lonely World", the closing track. Another misstep is the lyrics, where there hasn't been the improvement expected from an ambitious band like the one led by Justin Young (see the almost ridiculous "I Wish I Was A Girl"). Therefore, there are no tracks in this follow-up that match "Noorgard" or "Wreckin Bar", and in parts, the album seems saturated and forced.
In essence, the Vaccines, despite reaffirming themselves as a promising reality, are overreaching, exploring territories where they do not always demonstrate they can move well; however, this does not mean that this album won't achieve international success and contribute to increasing the band's fame. Because, as already mentioned, there are other bad albums.
Oh, one last thing: don't be surprised if you'll soon hear them on Rtl 102.5
Tracklist
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Other reviews
By definitelyalex
"The second album is always the most difficult, even for the latest 'next big thing' of English indie rock."
"This is undoubtedly a more mature and considered album, with the risk, however, of losing the freshness and immediacy that were the fortune of their debut album."
By Loconweed
"No Hope" featuring a typically English and stereotypically cynical lyric, perhaps the best track of this work.
The second album by the Vaccines seems like a collection of bland songs and in some cases derivative.
By GabriAvella
It was such a productive period that it would have been foolish to let the opportunity slip by.
Come of Age does not hold up in comparison to its dazzling predecessor, even though it possesses a handful of songs that would make 90% of today’s bands green with envy.
