Lyrically, you’d be hard-pressed not to presume that the material was written through a lockdown lens—the album’s themes of tech-enabled connection and the commoditisation of emotions both echoing and satirising a period of our lives where we have leaned on technology to communicate beyond our walls. It was in the can by early 2020, however, and exists as a product of our pre-pandemic world.

Back in Love City is also The Vaccines second album following the departure of founding drummer Pete Robertson in 2016. When asked if this fallout remains the band’s nadir, Young agrees, and has insight as to why it happened. “He left for good reason,” he reflects. “You think of all the reasons why it might be fun to be in a band and I don’t think we were really making the most of any of those. We had got a little tired of each other and tired of the music.”

You think of all the reasons why it might be fun to be in a band and I don’t think we were really making the most of any of those

One memory haunts him still. In early 2016, Young would commute to Limehouse every day to work in bass player Arni Árnason’s “tiny shoebox of a studio” on what would eventually become Combat Sports. “One thing that always sticks in my mind is that there were four of us but there were only three places to sit,” he offers regretfully. “[And] there was no need for us to be doing that. We could have been working anywhere we wanted but we got into this unhealthy, depressing rhythm. It’s just that none of us were enjoying it. For Pete, that tipped over into not wanting to do it anymore.”

Pete’s spot was filled by erstwhile Spector drummer Yoann Intonti, and the band promoted touring keyboardist Timothy Lanham to fulltime member. As of 2021, the band is in a much happier place. “I think we’re a lot more patient with each other [now]. When you’re young and starting out you go through a lot of intense stuff together and, maybe through a lack of sleep, anxiety, and stress, you’re a lot harder on each other.”

Young also admits that his side project with Lanham, Halloweens, and the making of their 2020 album Morning Kiss at the Acropolis benefited his creativity. “Writing that record was quite cleansing. It brought focus to the more frenetic, unleashed side of my writing, which I think is what The Vaccines do really well and one of my strong points.”

It would take a cold, begrudging soul not to agree that The Vaccines have a startingly high hit rate when it comes to carving irresistible, up-tempo indie dancefloor fillers. “The longer that The Vaccines go on, the harder I find it to write upbeat songs,” Young confesses. “Nine times out of ten I feel as though we have written [the upbeat song] already and the last time it was slightly better. Therefore, the ones that get through I’m always excited about because it’s not always easy.”

English Graffiti, their third album, showcased a band in transition. It was a radical departure from the proto-six-string chug and spaghetti western arpeggios that filled What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? and 2012’s Come of Age. It marked a downturn in commercial success. “We were trying to find a way out,” says Young with hindsight.

“That was a scary thing to do because there was a reason why people fell in love with us, but we also didn’t want to make the same pop-rock record every eighteen months and coast. I don’t know if we were necessarily rewarded for that. I’m really proud of English Graffiti and there are moments there where I feel we were at our best.” It is at this point Young expresses his dream to excise their second album, Come of Age, from The Vaccines’ discography.

“I think that we recorded it too quickly,” he reflects. “I don’t think we had enough time to get together a body of work that was as strong as the first record. I also think that we were trying to expand on our sound, and potentially even our popularity, if I’m being honest. We stripped back some of the things that made The Vaccines The Vaccines. At the time, it was us trying to grow up and grow out of something that we thought to be quite limiting but, looking back, [those things were] more defining than limiting.”

As for the songs he would save from the Come of Age bonfire: “I love I Always Knew. I like No Hope, Aftershave Ocean and Lonely World. Parts of Weirdo I like. Don’t get me wrong, there are songs that I really like, but there are also songs I don’t feel are very good.” Which ones in particular? “I don’t think Possessive is a very good song. I’m not sure I Wish I Was a Girl is a great song. There are definitely songs that probably shouldn’t have made it onto the record. And that’s frustrating.”

[their] ability to articulate the ennui of modern living, along with their knack for arms-aloft, scissor-kicking guitar pop has long evidenced a special kind of alchemy.

Was this due to label pressure to swiftly follow up their hit debut? “Yeah, I think so. We were riding on the wave, and everyone was like, ‘we’re still a little way from the beach, we could keep going if you wanted?’ I guess that’s what happened.” The band’s four-album deal with Columbia ended with Combat Sports. AWAL, their new label, seems to have handed the band the keys to their future: “I feel very much like we’re in control of our own destiny now, which is great.”

The Vaccines’ ability to articulate the ennui of modern living, along with their knack for arms-aloft, scissor-kicking guitar pop has long evidenced a special kind of alchemy. It is not without reason that they were heralded by the British music press as the Saviours of Guitar Music when they burst onto the scene over a decade ago. There may have been some bumps along the road, rushed albums, departing members and more, but The Vaccines step into their second decade in fine fettle. Back in Love City is evidence of that.

“You’ve got to keep enjoying it and you have to think that you have a better record in you every time you finish one and start another,” warns Young.

With that in mind, what should we expect from The Vaccines by the time another ten years come around? “More than anything, I hope we’ll be ten albums in.” Here’s hoping.

The Vaccines are Back in Love City

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