The Vaccines – Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations

Review Score:

C

January 13 / 2024

It pains me to say that the newest offering from longtime indie rockers The Vaccines is subpar. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the album is unlistenable, I certainly wouldn’t rank it among the band’s best work. The band’s 6th full length LP is an uninspiring collection of inoffensive guitar driven rock songs that feel about 5 years too late.

The production often feels strange and hollow. Songs like “Sometimes I Swear” and “Heartbreak Kid” feel unbalanced and overblown. The first trio of tracks didn’t do a whole lot for me. It’s not all downs, though. I enjoyed “Discount De Kooning (Last One Standing)” and the following song “Primitive Man”. The former includes a Killers’ esque synth line on the chorus. It may not hit as hard as a Killers’ song does, but still it’s a direction I wouldn’t mind the band leaning into down the line. “Sunkissed” is also a highlight. It doesn’t suffer from the same boring verse syndrome as some of the other songs here. Perhaps that’s why “Discount De Kooning” opens with the chorus.

Instrumentally, the album doesn’t have much to offer. The loss of lead guitarist Freddie Cowan may have something to do with that. Justin Young’s vocals tend towards an echoed, shouting style that feels stale by the time the first few songs are over.

Consider Combat Sports for a moment. Two albums ago, the band came out swinging with “I Can’t Quit”, a punchy, tongue in cheek single that felt like it was crafted by the same Vaccines that released their explosive debut album all those years ago. The band enlisted the help of producer Ross Orton after they struggled to find an identity. The album’s title was inspired by an actual, physical fight between vocalist Justin Young and lead guitarist Freddie Cowan. Young was also inspired to reevaluate his songwriting after the death of Leonard Cohen. A variety of factors, barriers, and influences drove the creation of Combat Sports.

I don’t know what drove the creation of Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations.

There is some unfortunate quality to this album in which I consider the better songs to be guilty pleasure tracks. Maybe that says more about me than the band or the music itself. While the album’s second half is much stronger than the first, I can’t help but feel like I won’t be revisiting this album too much. Unfortunately, the album mostly comes across as toothless.

Review Score:

C

Gubb wrote this review. You can’t get mad at Gubb.