"Degenerates look better in leather," the Vaccines sing in their hit "Blow It Up." They might not be the first English band to make that discovery, but these four London lads have become the toast of the U.K. with a debut full of surf-punk guitars and ordinary-boy wit. Singer Justin Young chronicles his appalling love life ("Post-breakup sex that helps you forget your ex/What did you expect from post-breakup sex?"). Yet there's a lovably unspoiled quality to the Vaccines — in "Nørgaard," they crush on a Copenhagen fashion model ("Great Dane cheekbones/Teenage hormones") while spelling out her name, as Joey Ramone would do.

Listen to The Vaccines' "If You Wanna":

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“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”