Newcastle’s angular pop quintet, Maximo Park, return with their new album, Too Much Information, the first since 2012’s critically acclaimed The National Health. Completely recorded in their hometown of Newcastle, as well as nearby Sunderland, the band has definitely pushed their sound into new territories, holding nothing back in the way of experimentation and lyrics as singer Paul Smith warns, “Pure lyrics, and music will never be too-cool-for-school, we are an emotional band, even if it might be Too Much Information for some.”
On this fifth album, the band continues to display catchy and intelligently crafted tunes in the same vein as their close friends, The Futureheads and Field Music. While maintaining that post-punk/new wave element, inspired by classic English forbearers – The Jam, XTC, and The Smiths – even hints of Depeche Mode find their way into the productions.
As well as handling the majority of the production duties themselves, Maximo Park received additional production assistance from the Invisible’s Dave Oakum, and Field Music’s David and Peter Brewis. The compositions on Too Much Information definitely show the band revealing a bit more delicacy compared to the more hard-hitting flavor of The National Health. The weird, slow, yet beautiful vibe of “Brain Cells” showcases this delicate and softer vibe. And as Smith mentions, “we’re an emotional band,” and some of that emotion is definitely prominent in the lyrics, with the poetic fervor of tracks like “Leave this island.”
Long-time fans of the band should not shy away because this is still a Maximo Park record, as personified in the upbeat and punk-ish track, “Her Name Was Audre,” as well as tracks like “I Recognise the Light,” which sees the band at their driving indie post-punk best. Maximo just wanted to avoid being that band that just puts out the same record over and over again. There is just enough sonic experimentation to keep the listener enthralled throughout, while still delivering that classic Maximo sound old fans appreciate.
Maximo Park are currently on a tour throughout Europe, then head to the U.K. March 1 where the band starts at the Limelight 2 in Belfast and heads on to Pyramid Centre in Portsmouth on March 6 where Teleman join on as an opener. They continue through the month, including March 20 at the Forum in London, and then wrap with two nights in their hometown of Newcastle at the O2 Academy. Maximo Park comes to the States for the Boston Calling Music Festival May 23 through 25.
UPDATE (February 18, 2014) – New U.S. Tour Dates:
05/12/14 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
05/14/14 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
05/15/14 – San Francisco, CA – Popscene @ Rickshaw
05/16/14 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
05/18/14 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
05/20/14 – Washington, DC – Rock n Roll Hotel
05/21/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts – Wolf Building
05/23/14 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
05/24/14 – Boston, MA – Boston Calling
The album Too Much Information is still available to stream free on the band’s Facebook page.
Too Much Information Tracklisting:
1. Give, Get , Take
2. Brain Cells
3. Leave This Island
4. Lydia, The Ink Will Never Dry
5. My Bloody Mind
6. Is It True?
7. Drinking Martinis
8. I Recognise The Light
9. Midnight On The Hill
10. Her Name Was Audre
11. Where We’re Going
http://maximopark.com
https://soundcloud.com/maximo-park-1
