The Maccabees - Marks To Prove It review • DIY Magazine

There’s a steady pulse behind The Maccabees’ returning single of choice – a thudding bassline which drags ‘Marks To Prove It’ kicking and screaming through the haze of their contemporaries. The Maccabees are almost the scene’s elder statesmen now, having ploughed straight through the hype and next-big-thing bandwagons of those they’re so often pinned alongside. As they gear up for their fourth full-length, they seem more vital than ever –the necessary force to shift away the fuzz-drenched pretenders.

It’s anything but overly studio-polished though, kicking into life with a snarling twang and an outstretched roar. Time away has granted them ample space to beef up their act – this is no wistful ‘sound of the summer’ indie record; it’s a hundred-mile-an-hour road trip through punishing desert. Even when they tone it down, dipping into echoey, eerie synth-lines as the track enters its final third, the tightrope is quick to snap. It’s the playful waltz with which ‘Marks To Prove It’ reaches its end, though, that leaves the most lasting impression. Bobbing along with the lackadaisical attitude of a thousand cooler-than-thou groups who’ve seen fit to hang from their coattails, The Maccabees’ statement is clear – as their long-awaited next record finally rears its head, they’re dusting off their shoulders and taking the throne.

Tags: The Maccabees, Reviews, Listen