The Vaccines Yearn For Belonging In 'Sometimes, I Swear' & Announce US Tour With The Kooks

The Vaccines share “Sometimes, I Swear,” the latest single from their forthcoming album Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, which releases January 12 via Thirty Tigers.

The album’s opening track sets the tone with a gnawing sense of displacement played out over insistent drums and euphoric guitars. The band also announces their return to the US for a coast to coast tour with The Kooks in spring 2024, including stops in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and more.

Local pre-sale begins Thursday, October 12 at 10am local time, with general on-sale Friday, October 13 at 10am local time. See a full list of tour dates below.

“Like many songs before it, ‘Sometimes, I Swear’ began life as Tim and I sat on my sofa in London,” says lead singer Justin Young. “I don’t think there are many places on the planet where I feel so at peace as sitting in my own home, but even there I constantly question my place in the world. I think the innate human need to be part of something - to connect with each other in a community or a congregation - is what keeps driving us forward and searching for meaning. It’s something many of us struggle with on a daily basis, but I hope when people hear this song they’ll feel less alone in that struggle.” 

“Sometimes, I Swear” follows the band’s recent single “Heartbreak Kid,” an instant Vaccines classic that Guitar World hailed as “everything you’d want from a Vaccines song: a catchy chorus, infectious melodies, and searing guitar licks that test the band’s indie rock resolve.” 

Produced by Andrew Wells (Halsey, Phoebe Bridgers), Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations is the epitome of what The Vaccines do best: 60’s-inspired classicist guitar pop filtered through a new wave lens, with equal parts euphoria and melancholy.

The album drips with fun while also exploring the ways real life lets us down – the title comes from a misremembered lyric in Don McLean’s “American Pie,” evoking the death of innocence and the American Dream. Though Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations is ultimately about reconciling with that loss, it’s also filled with gratitude for the people and places we once loved. 

Torchbearers for British guitar music, The Vaccines have released five UK Top 5 albums, including their debut What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, which is certified platinum and was the country’s best-selling debut album of 2011. The band has forged a fierce live reputation performing on main stages at Glastonbury, Lollapalooza and Coachella, in addition to touring with The Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Muse.

They have received widespread critical acclaim, with NME calling them “A band still at their very best and still brimming with ideas, invention and – most importantly – a knack for writing great songs,” and Paste Magazine declaring “Rock bands just don’t come any more inspiring than this these days, and they just keep getting better and better.”  

The Vaccines 2024 US Tour Dates with The Kooks

Feb 29 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Mar 1 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
Mar 2 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Mar 4 – Toronto, ON @ QET History
Mar 5 – Montreal, QB @ Mtelus
Mar 6 – Albany, NY @ Empire
Mar 8 – Boston, MA @ MGM Fenway
Mar 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Fillmore
Mar 11 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Mar 13 – Washington DC @ Anthem
Mar 15 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera
Mar 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Filmore
Mar 18 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
Mar 19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union
Mar 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium
Mar 22 – San Francisco, CA @ Fox Theatre

Photographer Credit: Wrenne Evans

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