May The Force Be With You - The Maccabees

With relatively left field influences at play how has this informed the new album? “I’m not sure, I think someone like Animal Collective work on a separate level. It doesn’t mean we sound like them now but it readdresses how you approach music. Unless I’m out for a drink, when I listen to music I want it to challenge me. You listen to someone like Grizzly Bear and you have to dissect it. That’s why I think Foals are interesting and Mystery Jets too- you listen to them once then go back and hear something totally different every time. Hopefully that’s what we’ve got into this record, the opportunity to take it at face value and then revisit it and find more. “

The most surprising element of The Maccabees return is not necessarily how much they have grown, nor how much more accomplished ‘Wall Of Arms’ sounds, but that people were not expecting it. Initial reactions to both ‘No Kind Words’ and the new single ‘Love You Better’ have been positive but from a taken abackposition, does this mean The Maccabees have been underestimated in the past?

“I think a lot of it was to do with the singles we released from the last record really,” Orlando says. “I’m proud of that album and I’m proud that we made a record in itself but the singles didn’t represent the album as best it could and I think things like ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ coming out when it did (Following a TV commercial) meant people forgot the songs were on the same album as say ‘Latchmere’. I don’t think people underestimated us as such it’s just we got grouped in with the whole indie thing or whatever moniker you want to put on it and people assume that you’re new music will sound the same as the last. I hope it doesn’t, it’s nice to surprise people.”

As talk turns to the new Horrors album (“He’s a tricky fish is Faris but he’s lovely and they’ve all got such a good grounding in music that they could only ever make a great record”) and The National curated Dark Was The Night compilation it becomes clear that The Maccabees are a band in love with music, both making it and listening to it. It’s with great symmetry then that they have written an honest and beautiful album in ‘Wall Of Arms’ that both elevates their stature and reputation whilst remaining true to the bands roots. It’s a record that an army of fans can fall deeply into and unlock a myriad of wonderful treats.