The Vaccines, ‘No Hope’ – Song Review

When it comes to British rock, the rule is the snottier, the better -- such is the case with the Vaccines' new quarter-life crisis anthem ‘No Hope.’

The West London act, who draw comparisons to the Cribs , the Arctic Monkeys and the Strokes, are equal parts seething and smiling. Frontman Justin Young has gone on record to say that the Vaccines are essentially a pop band, and that while pop might be “a dirty word, we don’t think it should be.”

If this is pop, it's not of the Beyonce variety. Saturated with navel gazing, apathy and self deprecation, 'No Hope' glories in its immaturity and rejoices in its rage. We can already see the legions of British teens shouting along with the call and response chorus of "No hope!"

The singer is as honest as he is feckless, professing, "I don't care about anybody else / I got my own life to figure out" among brutal punk rock chords and bludgeoning drums. Thankfully, all that vitriol is tempered by a sense of humor, as evidenced by the line "I am so self obsessed / I guess."

The foibles-of-youth fumer is the first single off of the Vaccines’ sophomore album, ‘The Vaccines Come of Age,’ out on September 3 on Columbia. They’ve got talent behind the boards in Kings of Leon producer Ethan Johns. Maybe there’s hope after all.

Listen to the Vaccines' 'No Hope'