Iconic indie rock

Review Score:

A

March 15 / 2024

I can’t quite put my finger on what makes the debut album from UK rockers, the Vaccines, such a solid record even years down the line. The lifespan of indie rock can be a hard thing to estimate. Some things age better than others. Certain “staples” of the genre feel bland and overrated just a short decade or so later. In the case of What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?, we have a project that has aged far more gracefully than one might have expected.

If my memory serves me correctly, I got my first taste of this album from a FIFA soundtrack (an avenue that has introduced me to many great songs over the years). When I further investigated the Vaccines, I found their now iconic debut and was instantly hooked. Part of me wonders what the world is like for a young music fan searching “vaccines” on Google these days, but I digress.

Every track holds up and feels entirely unique, despite being clearly inspired by acts like the Strokes, who’d come years before. Bands like the Arctic Monkeys, another Strokes inspired group, released some of their most successful music in the same era (the album AM). But whereas AM feels nearly entirely forgettable to me now, WDYEFTV? still stands out as one of the true indie success stories of the 2000s.

“Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)” was one of my favorite songs back in the day. It was like baby’s first punk for me. It’s simplistic chord structure and strummed guitar was reminiscent of something by the Ramones, but it wasn’t so harsh that it scared a much less open minded version of myself away. “Wetsuit” is another highlight for me. Depending on the day, it’s my favorite Vaccines song of all time. And from there on out, the album truly does just get better and better.

“Norgaard” is another one of the many energetic anthems in the tracklist. It’s written about the real life Danish model, Amanda Norgaard. Justin Hayward-Young was inspired to write the track after a fairly unsuccessful double date. In an interview, Hayward-Young has stated that the song gets increasingly more uncomfortable to sing, with the line “she’s only 17 so she’s probably not ready” (he was 20 when the song was written). “All In White” builds anticipation to an explosive finish, and then “Wolf Pack” maintains that sense of urgency before the album winds down with two contemplative, gentler songs. “Somebody Else’s Child”, simple as it may be, is the kind of song that I could listen to for 10 minutes straight. There’s something so hypnotic about the slow, lilting drone of that piano. It sounds like something I’d pluck out on an old wooden upright piano, drunk at 3am. It was technically a “hidden track”, a sort of epilogue to the previous song “Family Friend”.

The album’s themes of lost time and unrequited love contribute to a youthful energy that permeates the entire project. While a lot of Justin Hayward-Young’s writing feels designed to be screamed at an outdoor venue, there are still plenty of clever little moments sprinkled throughout. Perhaps the reason that What Did You Expect From the Vaccines? stands the test of time is because it excels at everything it sets out to do in ways that other projects of the era do not. When the Vaccines want to write a pounding, raucous indie rock song, they nail it. When the band wants to lay down soaring layers of percussion and strings, they do it to a near flawless degree. The Vaccines came out swinging with their debut. While they may not have reached the same highs with future projects, I will always have a deep appreciation for the band.

Review Score:

A

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