“I will attempt to articulate what’s wrong/ Even if there’s not much to say,” asserts Maximo Park’s Paul Smith on I’ll Be Around. Sure enough, the Newcastle quartet throw themselves into the political mire with vim on the likes of build-and-release Farage broadside Get High (No, I Don’t) or the title track, which berates lack of empathy for refugees over a chopping riff and vamping organ. Smith’s lyrics, crystal clear to the point of fearlessly flirting with hamfistedness, can feel like a righteous comment-section post; they might have scarcely more impact in a world more beset by angry opinion and counter-opinion than apathy. But as a tonic to the like-minded, these soul-tinged indie resistance anthems do their bit, if seldom approaching the euphoric lift-off of Maximo’s best songs.
.jpg?w=600)
