V for Vaselines

V for Vaselines
Studio album by
Released29 September 2014
Recorded2013–2014, Castle of Doom Studios, Glasgow
GenreAlternative rock, indie rock, punk rock
Length33:00
LabelRosary Music
ProducerThe Vaselines and Tony Doogan
The Vaselines chronology
Sex with an X
(2010)
V for Vaselines
(2014)
Singles from V for Vaselines
  1. "One Lost Year"
    Released: 28 May 2014
  2. "High Tide Low Tide"
    Released: 22 September 2014
  3. "Crazy Lady"
    Released: 14 November 2014

V for Vaselines is the third studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band The Vaselines. It was recorded at Castle of Doom studios in Glasgow[1] and was released in the UK on 29 September 2014 and in the US on 7 October 2014 through The Vaselines' own label, Rosary Music.

The album's sound was partially inspired by the Ramones, after Eugene Kelly went to see a Ramones cover band in Glasgow. Kelly stated that they wanted to "write some really short punk rock songs, just get into people’s ear really straight away, and then get out of there really quickly."[2] McKee was also surrounded by punk music, as her children were discovering the Ramones and The Stooges at the time the album was being made[3]

The first single from the album, "One Lost Year" was released online on 28 May 2014 along with the announcement of the album. It was made available to download for free from the band's SoundCloud page.[4] A second single followed in August, "High Tide Low Tide", which was released as a download and on limited edition blue vinyl, accompanied by the non-album B-side "Cardinal Sin". A music video for third single, "Crazy Lazy", was released in November. The band toured in support of the album with shows in the US and Europe into 2015.

The album's lyrics were inspired by many current events including the death of Margaret Thatcher,[5] the Leveson Inquiry[6] and the popularity of MP3 downloads. The Vaselines have also noted that a seriousness and sense of maturity has developed slightly in their lyrics.

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork Media(7.3/10) [8]
AllMusic[9]
The Line of Best Fit(7/10)[10]
Exclaim!(5/10)[11]
Drowned in Sound(6/10)[12]
NME(6/10)[13]
Paste(7.7/10)[14]
  1. ^ "Stream New Releases from the Vaselines and Vatican Shadow & Function Via Pitchfork Advance". Pitchfork. 22 September 2014.
  2. ^ "The Vaselines Announce New Album V for Vaselines Share "One Lost Year"". Pitchfork. 16 June 2014.
  3. ^ "The Vaselines". 25 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Stream The Vaselines music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud".
  5. ^ "The Vaselines". Pitchfork. 19 September 2014.
  6. ^ ""I'd like One Direction to record one of our songs..." hmv.com talks to The Vaselines | Music | HMV.com". www.hmv.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
  7. ^ "V for Vaselines - The Vaselines". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  8. ^ Berman, Stuart. "The Vaselines: V for Vaselines". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  9. ^ Sendra, Tim. "V for Vaselines - The Vaselines". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  10. ^ Scott, Hayley. "V for Vaselines by The Vaselines". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  11. ^ Edwards, Michael. "The Vaselines - V for Vaselines". Exclaim!. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  12. ^ Farah, Amanda. "Album Review: The Vaselines - V for Vaselines". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  13. ^ Huggett, Stuart (28 September 2014). "NME Reviews - The Vaselines - V for Vaselines". NME. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  14. ^ Cantor, Dave (6 October 2014). "Vaselines: V for Vaselines". Paste. Retrieved 20 October 2014.