The Vaccines Return with “Heartbreak Kid” as the launch single for “Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations” Album and EU/UK Tour.
The Vaccines, consisting of Justin Young (lead vocals, guitars), Ãrni Ãrnason (bass, vocals), Timothy Lanham (guitars, keys, vocals), and Yoann Intonti (drums), are making a triumphant comeback with their sixth studio album, “Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations,” slated for release on January 12, 2024. Leading the way is their single, “Heartbreak Kid,” accompanied by an extensive EU/UK tour.
Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations
The album’s title is inspired by a misremembered lyric from Don McLean’s “American Pie” (“I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck / With a pink carnation in a pick-up truck”), which sparked profound reflections. According to Young, while he was living in LA during the album’s creation, “American Pie” resonated as a song about disillusionment with America and the American dream, a feeling that something essential had been lost. Young was coming to terms with his own version of these emotions, grappling with his understanding of the real West Coast of America after growing up immersed in American pop culture. This introspective journey occurred in tandem with the end of several relationships, ultimately seeding the album’s themes around the loss of dreams.
Produced by Andrew Wells (Halsey, Phoebe Bridgers) with mixing by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, The Flaming Lips), “Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations” delves into complex emotions like ambivalence, doubt, fear, and perhaps some shame, wrapping them in pop songs that effervesce like a sherbert fountain.
The album’s first single, “Heartbreak Kid,” is an instant Vaccines classic, racing along with the sunniness of a convertible sports car. The Vaccines are notable for maintaining a youthful audience, and their music’s blend of euphoria and melancholy resonates strongly with younger crowds.
With a stellar track record of five UK Top 5 albums, including a Number 1 with 2012’s “Come of Age,” The Vaccines are known for their electrifying live performances, having headlined arenas and delivered unforgettable sets at festivals like Glastonbury and Reading/Leeds. “Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations” reaffirms The Vaccines’ position as a vital band in the British rock scene.
The band is set to kick off 2024 with a massive EU/UK headline tour, starting in Amsterdam on January 17th, and covering Belgium, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, and France before arriving in the UK. UK dates are as follows:
- Mon 5th Feb: BIRMINGHAM, O2 Institute
- Tue 6th Feb: MANCHESTER, Academy
- Wed 7th Feb: NOTTINGHAM, Rock City
- Sat 10th Feb: LONDON, The Troxy
- Sun 11th Feb: MARGATE, Dreamland
- Tues 13th Feb: FOLKESTONE, Leas Cliff Hall
- Weds 14th Feb: SOUTHAMPTON, O2 Guildhall
- Thurs 15th Feb: BRISTOL, O2 Academy
- Sat 17th Feb: OXFORD, O2 Academy
- Sun 18th Feb: BRIGHTON, Dome
- Mon 19th Feb: SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy
- Weds 21st Feb: LEEDS, O2 Academy
- Thurs 22nd Feb: GLASGOW, Barrowland
- Fri 23rd Feb: NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy