Maximo Park – The Kids Are Sick Again

We should have known better than to judge the comeback of Maxïmo Park so quickly. ‘Wraithlike’ may not have been what we wanted as a first taste of new material, but that pales in comparison to this decidedly non-single sounding single. ‘The Kids Are Sick Again’ seems likely to fail to set dancefloors alight in the way that ‘Graffiti’ or ‘Our Velocity’ did, it’s a slow burner not helped by the fact it only just makes it past the three minute mark

It’s still distinctly Maxïmo thankfully, the drumming is military precise whilst the keyboards wail and bubble underneath a unadorned guitar part. This of course provides the backdrop for Paul Smith, who refrains from using the chorus until right at the end of the track. Still, an ace chorus it certainly is, “the kids are sick again / nothing to look forward to / they jumped off the cliff again / the future sinks beneath the blue”. Unremarkable to begin with, it’s only after multiple listens does it become apparent that this song is anything other than just there. However, due to the length you find yourself hitting play again, as soon as the song has stopped.

Their intellect feels even more on display now that they’ve slowed themselves down, and knowing the sort of band that Maxïmo Park are, it shouldn’t have surprised us that they’d do something as baiting as this. In most groups hands a song about ‘The Kids’ that opens with the line “the comforting ache of the summer holidays” would sound patronising or just plain silly. Paul’s too good for that though and it’s certainly a great taster from the album, even if it’s only aroused our curiosity.