From the moment The Maccabees announced the release of their much-awaited third studio album in late 2010, fans of the five piece South London group held their breath in anticipation of what would come next. Would they revert back to their indie roots? Or would they continue evolving their sound? On the 6th January, these questions were answered in the form of thirteen tracks that showed the Maccabees had chosen the latter.

In a recent interview, lead singer Orlando Weeks said: “For the first time we weren’t thrashing it out in a rehearsal room, we were writing on our own…I think that is why the record sounds so cinematic, because it’s constructed from different pieces of music we had written.” The cinematic aspect Weeks talks of can be heard from the off with the opening title track, an ambient piece that acts as a telescopic zoom, and forms an enticing opening into the album.

From here, a seamless transition into “Child” follows. A dark and somewhat haunting track that encapsulates the band’s sound on the LP, and like so many tracks on the album, pays homage, in parts, to The Maccabees of yesteryear, with fast paced guitar riffs executed to perfection by the White brothers. This is something that is apparent throughout the 13 track LP, artefacts of the band’s indie roots. “Pelican”, the lead single, and arguably best track on the album, is a perfect example of this, and captures the classic Maccabees sound, circa 2007, that so many fell in love with.

However, with that said, it is impossible to deny that their sound, like many of their fans, has matured since the release of Colour It In in 2007. One thing that, thankfully, hasn’t changed since then is the ethereal tremolo of Week’s vocals, which can be heard in all its preserved glory in the brilliantly arranged “Feel to Follow”, and the anthemic “Grew up at Midnight”.

With all that said, Given to the Wild is a mouth-watering prospect for any Maccabees fan, as the five piece skilfully create a sound that fuses the old with the new.