Wedding Present

***In 1996, The Wedding Present released Mini—an EP featuring six tracks that all had connections to motoring. Almost thirty years on, David Gedge has revisited the concept with Maxi, a brand-new, six-track EP which is again loosely based around the theme of driving. But this time… the result is significantly more expansive.

Maxi arrives swiftly after the release of 40 a commemorative reflection of The Wedding Present’s complex and fascinating catalogue across four-vinyl and four-CD formats, with the compilation’s final track being ‘Hot Wheels’—a track from Maxi.

Although Maxi follows the same concept as Mini, the 2025 model of The Wedding Present’s vehicle is discernibly grander, with Gedge hinting that guitarist Rachael Wood—who was new to the band at the time of writing —might be one of the reasons why. ‘Scream, If You Want To Go Faster’—the opening track—mesmerises with a slow-building, post-rock feel before it revs up to set the EP’s tone and flows into the infectious riff of ‘Grand Prix’—itself driven forward by the complexities of Wood’s playing.

‘Hot Wheels’ and ‘Two For The Road’ – tracks three & four – are unmistakably Wedding Present. Gedge’s urgent guitar playing and lyrics shine their headlights on the challenges of the heart, and allow the listener to return to terra firma with a more familiar sound that effortlessly stands alongside classic Wedding Present releases. ‘Interceptor’ – track five – is steered by the bass until a roaring guitar and pounding drums shift gears to bring the listener back full circle to the post-rock feel of Maxi’s opening track. Crossing the EP’s finishing line is the epic ‘Silver Shadow’, another track that shifts in tempo, evoking a feeling of tenderness alongside the elated emotion of finding the one. Maxi undoubtedly takes the listener on a journey. This really is The Wedding Present at their creative best, pushing both the boundaries of their sound and the expectations of the listener, while the lyrics provocatively paint pictures in a way that only David Gedge can manage.