At first listen the Maccabees seem like just another Brit indie rock band, but this intangible ingredient I can’t put my figure on that’s been added to their mixture gives them just enough kick to stand out from the pack. From what I’ve heard of their latest album Colour It In, the Maccabees really expound upon that classic sound. Some Brit indie bands get too caught up in making noise, but the Maccabees seem to have perfected the beauty of simplifying their sounds so each one stands out. They do have their moments of monotonous rock, but those are usually short-lived. The Maccabees mostly create constantly dynamic songs peppered with cheerful angst.
“First Love” seems to splice together the smooth of Sondre Lerche, the strums of Jack Johnson, and the intensity of Bloc Party into one beautiful crazy love song. The lyrics are quirky but endearing, because who else could use ‘cool’ in “symmetricool”, “hypocriticool”, and “analyticool” or sing about seduction seriously when referring to “this leopard print/And matching velvet duvet”. Somehow the Maccabees do this and more pulling a one-up on all the other Brit indie bands.
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