The Vaccines

If there’s one thing we can all agree upon, let it be that Justin Hayward-Young can write a damn good pop song. I’ve loved and watched Justin since he was writing beautiful, melancholic folk songs that showed off his killer, emotive voice as Jay Jay Pistolet. So when he retired the Jay Jay moniker and went underground for a while, I was ultra depressed. Then, I heard whispers of a new band at this year’s SXSW and thus the Vaccines were born…They played their three big songs, which I think most people in attendance (a very, very good amount, if you were wondering) would agree with me, and they all fucking ruled. ‘Wrecking Bar’ was just as ever, a flash of surfy, 60s pop brilliance; ‘If You Wanna’ sounded incredible, Justin was on point with the vocals, sounding big and reverby in the best kind of way. – Nu Rave Brain Wave