The Vaccines, Headphones Baby
Super Easy
Yes, The Vaccines have been superstars for a long time now. They smashed the O2 Arena after just two albums, and they’ve been firmly establishing themselves as scene stalwarts over the years since with festival headline slots, an iconic and compelling live show, and a slew of albums each more rockstar-level and ambitious than the last. The last couple of years have given The Vaccines room to roam, though, with a handful of boundary-breaking side projects. There’s Halloweens’ dreamy euro-pop, T Truman’s piano jam extravaganza, but put them all back together and they’ll make something unmatchable.
Headphones Baby is everything that makes The Vaccines special, in a song. Just in time to swoop in and nab ‘song of the summer’ status, it’s a total bop. All The Vaccines’ calling cards are shimmering as bright as ever – a clash of acoustic guitar dancing up against polished production all providing the backdrop for their trademark puppy-eyed lyricism. It’s a love song in its purest form, a thematic sister to Your Love Is My Favourite Band in which frontman Justin Hayward-Young belts out the heartfelt hook “I wanna live inside your headphones baby! I wanna live inside a world wherever you are!” so brightly you just can’t help but want to sing along.
It’s definitely one of The Vaccines’ poppiest offerings, but not in a way that feels boring – instead, it feels gleefully nostalgic as it harks back to the earnest guitar-pop of the mid-2000s and early 2010s. The addictive chorus line, the sun-soaked melodies, the breezy instrumentals and the wholesome lyrics all make for a tune that’s just joyful – but not devoid of any of the grit that we know The Vaccines have got. Lyrical moments of sharp self-awareness (“I can’t apologise with no thesaurus”) and their characteristic subtlety shines – and it’s a glowing promise of whatever the Vaccines will be releasing next. They’ve teased at album five, and we hope this is a sign it’s around the corner.
Headphones Baby is out now.
