@maximoparkofficial were just as bold and anxious as any other group around, and even more adventurous sonically. Their second LP for @warprecords, Our Earthly Pleasures doubled down on the latent experimentalism lying beneath the surface, folding in a few more outre influences without losing the spark and swing that separated them from the pack. Fifteen years on, it’s clear that the band was onto something special.⁠ ⁠ In celebration of that anniversary, Warp has Earthly Pleasures back on vinyl for the first time since its initial release. The record starts with cracking early single ‘Girls Who Play Guitar’, a taut work of pop-y punk about frontman Paul Smith’s favourite subject: girls far too cool to look his way. A pervasively droning synth line extends across the entire track, adding a welcomed bit of agitation to the upstroked guitar chug. There’s even more synth texture on the beatific ‘Our Velocity’ which bottles up the noise before exploding into a massive chorus, while ‘The Unshakable’ cuts loose without all the gizmos. It isn’t all slashing riffs and shouted hooks though: ‘Sandblasted and Set Free’ goes midtempo with some lovely organ patches to bring the melody home. A fine showing indeed from Maximo Park that’s aged well in its eclecticism.