They destroyed a moribund music scene back in 2011 with incendiary debut What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? Their sub two-minute punk explosions were a breath of fresh air in a stagnant cloud of mediocrity. It’s been three years since English Graffiti, and with Combat Sports it appears the Vaccines have spent that time wisely…
‘Put It On A T-Shirt’ recalls classic Oasis in its bombast, ‘Surfing In The Sky’ is as insistent and brash, while new single ‘I Can’t Quit’ is just classic Vaccines. When singer Justin Hayward-Young intones the listener to ‘take the swing’ and talks of ‘going round in circles’ this may well be their raison d’être. This is music to spin round to, in a night club, in a muddy field; wherever you are.
Elsewhere, ‘Maybe (Luck of the Draw)’ is reminiscent of The Strokes and the gorgeous ballad ‘Young American’ drips with longing, coming straight out of the Alex Turner songbook. It is perhaps the band’s most consistent work since their debut.
7/10 RJ
