Combat Sports (album)

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Combat Sports
Studio album by
The Vaccines
Released30 March 2018
Recorded2017–2018
Genre
Length32:00
LabelColumbia
ProducerRoss Orton
The Vaccines chronology
English Graffiti
(2015) 		Combat Sports
(2018) 		Back In Love City
(2021)
Singles from Combat Sports
  1. "I Can't Quit"
    Released: 3 January 2018[1][2]
  2. "Nightclub"
    Released: 23 January 2018[3]
  3. "Put It on a T-Shirt"
    Released: 2 March 2018[4]
  4. "Surfing in the Sky"
    Released: 16 March 2018[5]
  5. "Your Love Is My Favourite Band"
    Released: 23 March 2018

Combat Sports is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band, The Vaccines. The album was released on 30 March 2018 through Columbia Records. It is the first album recorded with keyboardist Timothy Lanham and drummer Yoann Intonti, both of whom had originally joined the band as touring musicians during the English Graffiti album cycle, with Lanham added from the campaign's inception, while Intonti—who was still a member of Spector at the time[6]—replaced the departed Pete Robertson in the last phase of the campaign.[7] Both became involved in the making of Combat Sports at the midway point[8] before being promoted to full members of the band[9] with Lanham pictured wearing a T-shirt with the album title featured on the front cover,[10] an idea inspired by the album's opening track, "Put It on a T-Shirt".[11] The overall cover art concept is an homage to the band's debut album, albeit "more of an abrasive version of that".[11] The album title itself came out in the immediate aftermath of a fight that broke out in the studio between Young and Cowan towards the end of making the album.[11]

It charted at number four on the UK Albums Chart upon release.

Writing and recording[edit]

Shortly after the release of English Graffiti - which was a deliberate departure from their previous two albums - The Vaccines discovered only a few songs from it translated well when performed live. In early 2016, The Vaccines reconvened at bassist Árni Árnason's studio in London to figure out their next move, without much success. Though Robertson's departure in mid-2016 made the band consider calling it a day,[12] it also forced them to rediscover their identity.[13] The remaining trio contemplated various directions of continuing as a band, including resorting to drum programming.[14]

Meanwhile, the presence of touring musicians Lanham and Intonti helped improve relations within the band,[13] with Lanham in particular acting as a mediator between band members, helping Young on new demos and arranging song parts with everyone.[15] Due to their involvement during the writing process, Lanham and Intonti were promoted to full members.[9]

By late 2016, Young mentioned that The Vaccines were already "far along" in the writing process, with new material that "builds on the musicality of English Graffiti" but with "a lot more of spirit and energy from What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?" Young also added that the songs felt more like a band again, due to The Vaccines playing together in the studio every day.[16]

In January 2017, it was reported that The Vaccines' fourth album would contain songs "like polished '70s and '80s rock: Big Star, Todd Rundgren, Guided by Voices – that kind of stuff. Very smooth, like a super FM radio sound," stated Young. "Someone to Lose", "Out on the Street", and "Young American" were among the songs considered for the album, with the band looking for "a polished pop producer" to handle the recording sessions that were scheduled to take place in February.[9] The band recorded two songs in initial sessions with Patrick Wimberly as producer; however, they felt that the results lacked identity.[13] After meeting several other potential producers who were also confused with the direction the band wished to take,[13] they eventually worked with Ross Orton, who "essentially banned" the band from listening to music and urged them to reference themselves.[12] After initial reluctance to work with Orton, the band realized that they needed his "brutal honesty."[17] Most of the songs originally planned for the album were also scrapped and new ones were written.[17]

Young cites the death of Leonard Cohen as "a watershed moment," because it made him listen to Cohen's music and drive himself to write better lyrics.[13] Previously, Young had stated that this album's lyrics would be about "sex and love, and love lost," after he realised that "it's all I care about."[16]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB+[19]
The Guardian[20]
The Independent[21]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[22]
NME[23]
Paste7.9/10[24]

Combat Sports received positive reviews from critics, with The Line of Best Fit describing it as a "brash, attention-grabbing record".[22] The Guardian called Combat Sports "top drawer garage rock" and complimented Young's lyrical strengths.[20]

Track listing[edit]

All lyrics are written by Justin Young; all music is composed by The Vaccines unless otherwise stated

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Put It on a T-Shirt" 3:51
2."I Can't Quit"
2:42
3."Your Love Is My Favourite Band"
  • The Vaccines
  • Will Bloomfield
3:09
4."Surfing in the Sky" 2:31
5."Maybe (Luck of the Draw)"
  • The Vaccines
  • Greif-Neill
3:49
6."Young American" 2:01
7."Nightclub"
  • The Vaccines
  • Pete Robertson
[25]		2:54
8."Out on the Street"
  • The Vaccines
  • Greif-Neill
2:43
9."Take It Easy" 2:58
10."Someone to Lose" 3:08
11."Rolling Stones" 3:09
12."Berlin" (Japanese bonus track) 3:43

Personnel[edit]

The Vaccines

  • Árni Árnason – bass guitar
  • Freddie Cowan – lead guitar, background vocals
  • Yoann Intonti – drums, percussion
  • Timothy Lanham – keyboards, additional guitar
  • Justin Young – vocals, rhythm guitar

Additional contributors

Charts[edit]

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 44
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 89
Irish Albums (IRMA)[28] 74
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[29] 35
Scottish Albums (OCC)[30] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[31] 83
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 82
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 4

References[edit]

  1. ^ Britton, Luke Morgan (3 January 2018). "Listen to The Vaccines' triumphant return with new single 'I Can't Quit'". NME. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  2. ^ Manno, Lizzie (3 January 2018). "The Vaccines Unveil Infectious New Track, "I Can't Quit"". Paste. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  3. ^ Skinner, Tom (24 January 2018). "Listen to The Vaccines' new track 'Nightclub'". NME. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  4. ^ Louise, Amber (11 March 2018). "Review: The Vaccines – 'Put It On A T-Shirt'". The Edge Susu. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. ^ "The Vaccines share new track 'Surfing in the Sky'". DIY. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  6. ^ Spector [@Spector] (20 June 2016). "Yoann's our drummer but will also be playing with The Vaccines this summer (going undercover to steal their beats) x" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ The Vaccines (17 June 2016). "It is with a heavy heart that we must announce..." Facebook. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  8. ^ Lanham, Tom (14 September 2021). "The Vaccines Are Right Where They Belong on Back in Love City". Paste. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Q, January 2017
  10. ^ Lanham, Timothy (30 March 2018). "Our treat to the world!". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Rix, Lucy (20 March 2018). "The Vaccines discuss upcoming album release and 2018 plans". Student Pocket Guide. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  12. ^ a b O'Connor, Roisin (5 April 2018). "Combat Sports: How The Vaccines bounced back with their best record yet". Independent. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  13. ^ a b c d e Wright, Lisa (26 January 2018). "Playing For Keeps: The Vaccines". DIY. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  14. ^ Bartleet, Larry (30 March 2018). "Fighting Fit". NME. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  15. ^ Cotton, Shannon (13 April 2018). "Lost and found: The Vaccines on recapturing their exuberant spirit on Combat Sports". Gigwise. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  16. ^ a b Trendell, Andrew (29 November 2016). "The Vaccines talk 'energetic' new album: 'It's all about sex and love'". NME. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  17. ^ a b "The Vaccines Combat Sports Interview". HMV. 30 March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Combat Sports by The Vaccines". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  19. ^ Annie Zaleski (30 March 2018). "The Voidz, The Vaccines, and more albums to hear about this week". The AV Club. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  20. ^ a b Ben Beaumont-Thomas (30 March 2018). "The Vaccines: Combat Sports review". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  21. ^ Roisin O'Connor (29 March 2018). "Album reviews: Kacey Musgraves, The Vaccines, Kate Nash, Frankie Cosmos, Sons of Kermet, Mount Eerie". The Independent. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  22. ^ a b Lauren Wade. "Combat Sports by The Vaccines". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  23. ^ Mark Beaumont (27 March 2018). "The Vaccines - "Combat Sports" – NME". NME. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  24. ^ Madison Desler (26 March 2018). "The Vaccines: Combat Sports Review". Paste. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  25. ^ "Song Details: Nightclub By The Vaccines". Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Vaccines – Combat Sports" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Vaccines – Combat Sports" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  28. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Vaccines". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – The Vaccines – Combat Sports". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  31. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – The Vaccines – Combat Sports". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Vaccines – Combat Sports". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 April 2018.


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