After a string of politically minded albums calling for reform,
Maximo Park
wonder if it's even possible for people to change on
Nature Always Wins
. As the title of their seventh album suggests, the band ponders the nature versus nurture debate with philosophical guitar pop that's as full of melodies and reflections as it was on
A Certain Trigger
nearly two decades prior. Indeed, several of the brightest highlights here could have appeared on their debut; "Ardor," "I Don't Know What I'm Doing" and "The Acid Remark" are all cut from that album's spiky, keenly observed cloth.
have been around long enough to look back on their former selves and imagine future ones, and the passing of time is a major theme on
. Frontman
Paul Smith
muses on fatherhood and other lifelong relationships on songs like "Feelings I'm Supposed to Feel," "Baby Sleep," and "Versions of You," where he takes a small moment -- in this case, watching videos together -- and makes a world out of it. As on his 2018 solo album
Diagrams
, his thoughtful lyrics capture the fine points of
' grander concept; "I can only speak for myself/But I'd like to understand your feelings as well" from "All of Me" is a classic
Smith
line. As much as
play to their inherent strengths on
, they also seek out change. For their first album as a trio, they collaborated with producer
Ben Allen
, who's worked with
Animal Collective
and
Deerhunter
-- not exactly the kind of indie music they're known for (although their full-lengths are often more experimental than their singles would suggest). Branching out a bit results in some of the album's most striking songs. The beguiling electro-pop of "Meeting Up" creates a shimmering liminal space between reality and dreams of the one who got away, while the finale "Child of the Flatlands" combines the personal and the political in a way that breaks moody, ambitious new ground for the band. Even with these changes,
remain unabashedly heartfelt, and by staying true to this on
, they deliver some of their finest songs in a while. ~ Heather Phares