How are Maximo Park still churning out albums? If you’ve seen the band live, you’ll know that front-man Paul Smith is energy personified. Usually donned in his signature hat, he’ll bound around the stage, leaping around and enticing the crowd at every opportunity. Why then on record have the band not released anything considered exciting in years?
That may be too harsh, but the brokenhearted charm of 2007’s ‘Earthly Pleasures’ provided the soundtrack to many an indie kid relationship. Head further back and you’ll reach ‘A Certain Trigger’, a song that most people know and appreciate on a night out, regardless of whether they even know who Maximo Park are. ‘Risk To Exist’, the Geordies’ latest release is a grower not a shower. On first listen, it’s not as immediately gripping as its years’ worth of predecessors but – with layers of synths and diverse rhythms on offer – you’re eventually reminded of the band’s charm on further listens.
‘I’ll Be Around’ starts with an ‘80s, Metronomy-esque intro that carries throughout the song. So repetitive it’s almost unnoticeable, Smith’s vocals take centre stage and the simple refrain is allowed to stand on its own. The uplifting guitars of ‘Work and Then Wait’ succeed alongside the pulsating bassline. ‘The Hero’ uses a similar funk-driven rhythm, but it’s too similar to the previous tracks and fails to spark an interest, despite the stripped-back middle section.
‘The Reason I Am Here’, with its accompanying female vocals is subdued and romantic. ‘Make What You Can’ and ‘Respond To The Feeling’ follow and both songs feel as though they may be building to something, but that wow moment never comes. There are further hints that the Maximo magic is still there in opening tracks ‘What Did We Do To You To Deserve’ and ‘Get High (No, I Don’t)’, but it just always feels like something’s missing.
Rather than feeling inspiring or invigorating, ‘Risk To Exist’ can feel stale. No matter how much you will the album to turn into something you’ll love, it just doesn’t happen. If you’re happy with background music rather than something to actively listen to you’ll love it, but if it’s the old Maximo Park you admired, just pop on anything they released a decade ago or more instead.
KATHRYN BLACK