The Vaccines wrote and performed indie-rock classics from the very start and treated it all with the arrogance of a band that knew exactly their worth and importance. Critics and audiences haven’t always agreed, making The Vaccines one of the most underrated alternative rock bands.
Still, the songs, especially when handpicked, speak for themselves. These are the 10 best songs by The Vaccines.
The Greatest 10 Songs by The Vaccines
10. “Norgaard”
With the band’s debut, The Vaccines revealed themselves to be, quite frankly, one of the best bands in indie-rock. That’s not to say that, like The Killers, they were not opportunists.
“What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?” weighed up and used all the best elements of The Strokes, Razorlight or The Libertines.
And while Amanda Nørgaard insists that she finds Justin Hayward-Young’s unrequited affections rather creepy, the song itself is as hooky as they get.
9. “I Always Knew”
The Vaccines were maybe a little too confident as they released the band’s sophomore album “Come of Age.”
A dig at nostalgia, “I Always Knew” used surf-rock guitars and a 1950s-styled chord progression. But it was a strong single that kept the band on track.
8. “Love to Walk Away”
Each new album by The Vaccines is a new opportunity at a few terrific pop songs you’ve never heard before. Recently, however, some of those efforts have been hit-and-miss.
If you remained a believer, “Love to Walk Away” will reward your patience. It’s punchy, guitar-driven, and talks about those complicated relationships that Hayward-Young always seems to find himself in.
7. “Handsome”
The Vaccines play a mean live show, and Hayward-Young tries to make each song memorable. But trends change and inspiration fades.
“Handsome,” an inspired one-two punch, looks at the world of glamour and fame that the band had stepped into and concludes that few deserve it more. A wonderful, guilty pleasure of a tune!
6. “I Can’t Quit”
The Vaccines always had the songs. That’s what allowed the group to flourish. And for 2018’s bright and cheerful “Combat Sports,” Hayward-Young decided to keep some of the tunes he’d been giving away in order to pay the bills.
“I Can’t Quit” is the unapologetically hooky tune. And, for those who enjoyed indie songs that got stuck in the mind, it was a breath of fresh air.
5. “If You Wanna”
There were other indie-rock bands, like The Fratellis or Jet, that wrote simple, catchy, dumb songs. But you sensed that The Vaccines had a choice in the matter.
Justin Hayward-Young’s too much of a bookworm to be a true rebel. But that makes lustful songs about breakups and reunions all the more interesting.
4. “Surfing in the Sky”
The Vaccines write the catchiest songs in indie-rock, and they’re not afraid to go as low as they must to get them. “Surfing in the Sky” proves that the group remains dependable years into their career.
3. “Post Break-Up Sex”
Few indie bands around the 2010s made a rock album as convincing as “What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?” A lot of that’s due to the fact that the cleverly designed dumb rock tunes are performed with colossal confidence.
“Post Break-Up Sex” doesn’t just sound great, but includes a few very funny, and heartbreaking observations. All of this, against the odds, made The Vaccines awfully popular with critics.
2. “Dream Lover”
It was all in the cards. The glamorous indie-rock scene was going away and taking its guitars with it. What were music social climbers like The Vaccines to do?
They made a pop album inspired by the classics of the genre, named it “English Graffiti”, and released “Dream Lover” as a single. The tune may sound like a Bruce Springsteen song being given an 80s synth-pop production. But it’s one of the tunes by the band that is hardest to resist, and that’s the whole point.
1. “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”
Make all the fun you want about indie-rock guitar bands. Sure, the fashion was important. And, yes, it appealed to a certain generation, especially. But it was nearly always the quality of the tunes that brought a group long-lasting fame.
A power-pop blitz, “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)” happens to be, at the same time, raucous, smartly written and movingly hilarious. It was just enough to make listeners want more.
Coincidentally, this opening track off the debut album is also the shining hour of The Vaccines and one of the best indie-rock songs ever released.
