The Vaccines / Teenage Icon - Single Review

'What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?' definitely not having a debut album peaking at number 4, various main stage preformances at huge festivals and a follow up single that would blow the four London lads out of the water. No, we really didn't expect THIS from The Vaccines.


There were always going to be doubts about the second album. Will it be different? Will it be the same? Will it have a song longer that 2 minutes on it? The answers are yes, no and suprisingly so! We've had two tasters of what The Vaccines have been working on while touring; hard hitting and fresh 'No Hope' and now we have 'Teenage Icon'.

'Teenage Icon' is the second single to be released from brand-spanking-new album 'Coming Of Age'. Fresh off the press on Monday 3rd of September. Avid The Vaccines fans have had this date circled for weeks and we're finnaly going to be able to hear the masterpiece that will become the record of the year.

So what does 'Teenage Icon' hold for The Vaccines fans? First off; it's a 3:41 minute long video for the song set in an elevator, keeping listeners watching and moving for more than a minute. It's new, it's bouncy, it's catchy. It isn't The Vaccines usual sound but it's something everybody has been waiting for to arise from Justin Young's song book. It's mauturity; a statement of some sort.

Gone are the days of Justin Young's sleek and styled hair-cut, his unprofessionalism of amazement when people ACTUALLY knew the words to the songs he had written. New and improved in double-denim his lyrics bounce of the walls of the brain. 'I'm no teenage icon, I'm no Frankie Avalon, I'm nobody's hero'. He's relating to teenagers all around the world. The 'nerds' the 'geeks' the ones who aren't 'anybody' popular. He's saying what teenagers are thinking 'Oh look at me, so ordinary, no mystery', he was a nobody.

'Teenage Icon' really puts a mark on what The Vaccines now are. In 2010 they were playing their first gig in a venue in Leicester and now they're main stage material at festivals such as T In The Park and Reading & Leeds. They've rose against the odds and became 'somebody'. 'Teenage Icon' is easily the best written song The Vaccines have preformed. It means something to the adoring pubic and it setting a new wave of genre for the fantastic four.

'Teenage Icon' is out Monday 3rd of September to purchase on iTunes and in store
'Coming Of Age' the second anticipated album by The Vaccines is also out in stores and on iTunes on Monday 3rd September.

Be sure to catch The Vaccines at their headline tour this November at various venues around the country.

Teenage Icon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFUKrsDDChE
No Hope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_3eEPpmKwE

Chvrches / Lies - Single Review

 

The hottest new indie / electro band and their debut single

We knew it wasn't going to be long before the hype for Glaswegian-trio 'Chvrches' hit, broke, and rocketed out of the roof, Featured in NME's David Bowie Anniversary Special magazine, masterminds behind the cool electronic sound of 'Lies' the entire Internet is completely buzzing about, are three, soon to be, Glasgow giants! Martin Doherty, off of Twilight Sad, Ian Cook from The Unwinding Hours and vocals on the viral track tragically sang by the beautiful Lauren Mayberry. Chvrches only have one song to their name, but seriously it's one of the most amazing sounds I have listened to this year!

In the trio's first electronically enhanced song 'Lies', various qualities of The Unwinding Hours and Twilight Sad can be heard, influencing the flow of this beautiful song. These elements can be heard, meshed together with a sharp-cutting, exciting edge which leaves you craving more of the trio's sound.

Happiness also plays a huge part in the sound provided, which is why Chvrches are so different and edgy to other bands. The up-lifting beat gives off a strange feel, making you begin to smile, dance and shoe gaze - without really grasping the meaning of the lyrics being echoed. 'Lies' has been beautifully engineered to suit the qualities that all three to-be-music-giants have to offer, bringing out the best possibilities in all of them.

The song starts off with a haze of mystery and excitement, before bouncing off the walls with a cool, refreshing, synthesised beat that jumps in immediately. Lovers of SBTRKT Ft. Little Dragon's 'Wildfire', will instantly be hooked to the jangly notes and synthesised beats the trio create. You can tell from the track that masses of time, thought and effort have been pressed into the 3:41 masterpiece. Effortlessly switching from beat to beat with flawless ease, the upbeat track draws you into a world of colours and noise, creating vital images that swim around in your head.

The excitement builds throughout the song, but doesn't reach it's peak until late on in the song. For some this will be a good thing, keeping them developed in the music and embedding their understanding of what 'Lies' is all about. But for others the height of excitement will come to late and too slow, having them lost interest in the track and magical vocals.

The lyrics kick in little after the 26 second long introduction. One of the things I love the most about music is the long and winding intro which gets you begging for the lyrics. But in 'Lies', 'Chvrches' intro doesn't do the song justice for me. The introduction could of been slightly more thought out and planned longer, to get the audience hyped and excited to the extreme. If the introduction was slightly longer, the lyrics that fall into place after it, would be more strong and uplifting; in my opinion. It just lacks that one note that changes everything when you're shoe gazing in the club, to you bouncing off of the dance floor.

The lyrics that are spun are catchy and simply written, yet give off a strong meaning of depth and complexity to the song. The way Mayberry's haunting voice bounces each and every word off each other is fantastic, and really makes the listener listen and relate to what she is babbling about. For no reason whatsoever; her beautifully tragic voice makes you smile and move. Colours appear from her voice and spin images in your brain. "Faster, faster, you'll go far" is an example of an easily simple, yet connective lyric, that sets the mood for the danger arising in the rest of the song. The lyrics echo around the room from Mayberry's riveting and magical voice. "I can feel your dirty knife / like I know what you want"

'Lies' is the first of many songs that we'll see from Churches for sure, but this hard-hitting mainstream hit may be the favourite among future Churches fans. 'Lies' has already gone global, with over 19,000 views of the song in the last 3 months, on youtube alone! Keep an eye on Chvrches as their debut album will be on the streets in 2013.

 Be sure to check out Churches on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/churchestheband
 Buy 'Lies' on Soundcloud http://soundcloud.com/churchestheband