The Vaccines: Shot of Nostalgia
The Vaccines are back on Australian shores after five years, bringing their new album, Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations. Ahead of their co-headline gig at the Gov, frontman Justin Hayward-Young speaks on perfectionism, the influence of nostalgia and what it means to be a band 13 years into the gig.
Interview by Zara Richards | Photo by Wrenne Evans
We’re very excited to have you back in Australia for the first time since 2019. How are you feeling about sharing your sixth LP with Aussie fans?
We can’t wait! I always get in trouble for referring to a tour as a ‘holiday’, and being in Australia makes it even harder to tell the two apart. I think Australian fans are a bit like British fans in the sense that every show feels a bit like a party. The new songs have been so fun to play live and have been going down really well, so we’re very excited to play them in Australia!
Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations arrived in January. You’ve previously mentioned that the album feels very fresh to you as a band. What’s behind this?
I think we’re still incredibly hungry as musicians and as creatives. We still believe we’re capable of better work every time we start something or finish something, so I think that helps. I do think it’s important to keep living and keep feeling. If you’re able to be really honest and harness all these strong emotions in songs, then that resonates and people can feel that you’re not just phoning it in.
The album grapples with loss and a desire to understand all angles of it, bridging that gap between expectations and experiences. How did these concepts manifest in songs?
We’ve always had a nostalgic element to our sound, and I’ve always been quite a melancholic and nostalgic person and lyricist – so that bit is easy. The harder bit is finding the hope in it all, which I’m more interested in. Something I like about this record is that even though it focuses on loss, it also explores the discovery and growth that comes from loss, which I find more powerful in the end!
What does this LP represent the most to you?
I think it represents a time and a place in our lives – as every album should. The tracks are windows into how we were feeling, what we were listening to and what inspired and motivated us during that period… A little snapshot of 2021 and 2022, I guess!
You’re currently based in L.A., but you all live in different parts of the world! As a band, what does it mean to reunite and build an album like Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations?
Yoann is back in Paris and Tim spends as much time in Australia as he does in London, so we really are all over the place. We love coming back together and when we do, it’s like we were never apart. I think there is something to be said about going through all these intense experiences together, like travelling across the other side of the world. It’s incredibly bonding.
You’ve previously said that each album is a step towards the goal of perfectionism. Do you feel a step closer on this record?
You never get there! That’s the point, I think – but there is hopefully this feeling of refinement. I guess it’s like trying to find the end of a rainbow. I do believe we’re getting better – but will we ever do anything ‘perfect’? That’s a little too philosophical!
You’re sharing the stage with Everything Everything on your Australian tour. Tell us more about your relationship with them.
We did our first-ever tour with Everything Everything, so we’ve known them for 13 years! When we were starting the band and thinking about guitarists, Alex [Robertshaw] was on our wish list. I love their music and they are a great hang, so I think it’s going to be a really fun tour.
What else can we expect from the show?
We always give everything! The Vaccines shows are always high energy. We love nothing more than playing live and seeing the world while doing it. We’ll be playing stuff from the new record but also honouring our back catalogue and fan favourites.
The Vaccines have been jamming together for 13 years. How has the drive to make music changed?
Well, when we first started, we were just making music for ourselves. But, if you’re lucky enough to find an audience, that obviously reframes things entirely. And success is very addictive, too. When we were starting to gain attention, it was very scary and overwhelming and for a while, we were probably trying to make music for the people who disliked the band as much as the people who liked us. Now, we feel very comfortable in our own skin. All we want to do is get better and have fun while doing it.
See The Vaccines alongside Everything Everything at The Gov this May 6. Buy your tickets here.
