As its title suggests, Come Of Age, heralds a slight shift in sound from the immediacy and energy of The Vaccines’ debut. Unlike its hyped-up predecessor, Come Of Age embraces a dark, mellow tone, without losing the Vaccines feel, characterised by fun rhymes and riffs. ‘Teenage Icon’ dives straight into an infectious chorus, from which it doesn’t stray more than two or three lines during its entire three minutes. ‘Aftershave Ocean’ is as simple and catchy as a Beach Boys hit. ‘Weirdo’ is full of twangs, Joy Division-esque dystopic lyrics and a ton of long ‘aaaaaahhhhs’. But the catchy blues intro of ‘I Wish I Was A Girl’ soon becomes repetitive. All is redeemed with ‘Lonely World’, where the hooks are emotional and nurtured by guitar – a smooth comedown from the craziness.
Sony
3/5
Reviewer: Jamie Nelson