Maxïmo Park have released a new single called ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Doing’ – you can listen to it below.

It’s the third track to be shared from the band’s upcoming new album, ‘Nature Always Wins’, and it follows the release of singles ‘Baby, Sleep’ and ‘Child Of The Flatlands’.

Speaking on the new track, frontman Paul Smith said: “It’s about taking responsibility for how your own behaviour can affect other people, and how nobody knows it all, but that doesn’t stop us from trying. More personally, it’s about the fears and self-doubt I’ve experienced as a new parent.”

Watch the video for ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Doing’ below:

Speaking about ‘Nature Always Wins’, Smith told NME: “Last time we wanted to make more political music, but we also didn’t want to rely on the cliches of it being a punk record. We wanted to do something you could dance to but also think about what you’re dancing to, which is more of a post-punk or punk-funk sort of ideal.”

He continued: “With this one, I’ve become a parent over the past four years and the other guys in the band have got kids as well and I didn’t want to ignore it but I also didn’t want it to be the central aspect of the record because I want the record to be open to all. It’s clearly about being a parent, songs like ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Doing’ for example, in many ways these are universal feelings of self-doubt that people have.

“I’ve tried to make it as personal and specific as I can without it losing that universal appeal, otherwise it feels too inward or self-obsessed.”

‘Nature Always Wins’ will be Maxïmo Park’s seventh album and will arrive on February 26 – you can pre-order it here.

In addition to the new single, the band have also announced some new album launch shows, which will see them play a socially distanced show at Pryzm in Kingston on February 26. Tickets go on sale December 1 here.

Maxïmo Park’s album launch show dates are as follows:

FEBRUARY, 2021

26 – Kingston, Pryzm – with Banquet (socially distanced)
27 – Newcastle, Tyne Theatre (socially distanced)

AUGUST, 2021

24 – Dundee, Fat Sam’s – with Assai Records
25 – Edinburgh, The Liquid Room – with Assai Records
28 – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club – with Crash Records
29 – Preston, Blitz – with Action Records
30 – Liverpool, The Arts Club – with Jacaranda Records

SEPTEMBER, 2021

01 – Coventry, The Empire – with HMV
02 -Oxford, O2 Academy2 Oxford – with Truck Store
03 – The Brook, Southampton – with Vinilo
05 – Bexhill, De Lar Warr Pavilion – with Music’s Not Dead
06 – Norwich, The Waterfront – with HMV

Maxïmo Park’s last album was 2017’s ‘Risk To Exist.’ In a three-star review of the album, NME‘s Mark Beaumont noted that while the album had “impeccable bad timing” with its political bent, it was still “a cracking post-debate disco record.”