The Vaccines

Since bursting onto the scene with their 2011 platinum debut What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, the Vaccines have anchored London's indie rock landscape through infectious melodies and expansive hooks. Their festival appeal carried over to later releases including Come of Age, English Graffiti, Combat Sports, Back in Love City, and Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, sustaining momentum across the UK and beyond.

The group coalesced in 2010 with Justin Young handling vocals and guitar, Árni Arnason on bass, Freddie Cowan on guitar, and Pete Robertson on drums. Drawing from the Strokes, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Ramones, they issued their first Columbia Records single, "Post Break-Up Sex," in February 2011 to herald a full-length project later that year. What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? landed in the UK that March and reached North America two months afterward, ultimately achieving platinum status and cementing the Vaccines among England's leading contemporary rock acts. Their follow-up, Come of Age, arrived in 2012 under Ethan Johns's production and marked their initial UK chart-topping album.

Shifting direction for their third LP, the band headed stateside to work with Dave Fridmann—previously linked to the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev—alongside experimental hip-hop producer Cole M. Greif-Neill on 2015's English Graffiti, which surfaced in late May and featured the hit singles "Handsome" and "Dream Lover." They previewed their fourth album with the January 2018 release of the intense track "I Can't Quit," followed by Combat Sports in March. After Robertson's departure and the addition of Timothy Lanham and Yoann Intonti, the Vaccines broadened their sonic range on the vibrant, energetic fifth effort, Back in Love City, issued in 2021; it proved to be Freddie Cowan's final recording with the group before his exit the next year. Cut in Los Angeles under Andrew Wells, the assured yet introspective Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations emerged in 2024, centering on motifs of loss and heartbreak.