Combat Sports

After the pop direction of third album <i>English Graffiti</i>, The Vaccines return to their London rock ’n’ roll roots with taut riffs, shouty choruses and the fearless sense of fun that characterised their 2011 debut. Bright-eyed vocals and punchy guitar match the urgency of the songs’ lyrics—“You can’t change me, can you?” screams Justin Hayward-Young on the infectiously upbeat “I Can’t Quit”. Elsewhere, the raging “Nightclub” pulsates with nostalgia for student life, while the contemplative and romantic “Maybe (Luck of the Draw)” offers a brief but emotive slowing of pace.