Torchbearers for British guitar music, The Vaccines – Justin Young (lead vocals, guitars), Árni Árnason (bass, vocals), Timothy Lanham (guitars, keys, vocals) and Yoann Intonti (drums) – are back with their sixth studio album Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations. The title comes from a misheard lyric from Don McClean’s “American Pie,” a song that for Young fittingly evokes the death of innocence and the American Dream. After he moved to Los Angeles – a city the band has grown up being captivated by – he was forced to wrestle with the disillusionment that comes when expectations, dreams, and reality don’t quite meet. Yet, though Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations is an album about reconciling with loss, it’s also filled with gratitude for the people and places we once loved. “Pink carnations symbolise gratitude and tell a person they’ll never be forgotten,” says Young. “So whether it’s the loss of a lover, or a friend, or even just a dream, the record is a reminder that they’ll live on in whatever capacity the mind allows them to. And it’s a reminder to keep on dreaming.” Produced by Andrew Wells (Halsey, Phoebe Bridgers) with Mixing from Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, The Flaming Lips), Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations is an immediately anthemic addition to the band’s discography. With a mammoth five UK Top 5 albums – including a Number 1 with 2012’s Come of Age – and a fierce live reputation forged through arena-filling headline shows and unforgettable slots at Glastonbury and Reading/Leeds, The Vaccines continue to be a vital band in the British rock canon.