Having toured Australia twice in the last 12 months, English post-punkers outfit Maximo Park are finally back home working on tracks for their as-yet-untitled third album, the follow-up to 2007’s critically acclaimed Our Earthly Pleasures release.

The new songs aren’t, reveals singer Paul Smith, coming easily, however – the “Our Velocity” frontman claiming he was unable to sleep after his bandmates gave him three days worth of demos to write lyrics for.

“As soon as I heard them I couldn’t sleep,” Smith admits. “They kept going round my head so I was waking up at 3am writing lyrics until the early hours. That’s what music can do – it takes over your life.”

Fans can expect the new tracks to be “very melodic”, says guitarist Duncan Lloyd.