More about: Metronomy

The past two years have played a big role in the shaping of Small World, album number seven for Metronomy. “I could be a bit more loose with ideas and relaxed,” chief songwriter and frontman Joe Mount has said of its creation. It’s apparent then, that the enforced time at home provided many avenues for which Metronomy’s creativity would not have explored otherwise. On the record, Mount sought to incorporate the stillness, sadness, and bizarre nature of the world into its foundation. "It’s about life and the people that you love."

Small World, at its core, is a record primarily about the relationships and connections that bonded many people in the whirlwind of the past twenty-four months. Timeless as the overarching themes of love may be, it seems all the more immediate in recent times. With their signature upbeat but consistently offbeat groove still prominent in tracks like ‘Things Will Be Fine’ and the catchy ‘Right on Time’, Small World sees Metronomy reveal a deeper, more introspective sound that ruminates hard-hitting emotions, loss, and hope through the gaze of their most stripped-back record to date. 

‘Life and Death', the album’s opening track, offers a brooding narrative where Mount laments how things once so important can easily get lost over time. "Take some pictures of me/but then forget about them": the simplicity of these lyrical themes unveils an honesty that Mount was encouraged to confront in 2020. Whilst he was conscious of making what many may deem a ‘pandemic album’, the title of the project reflects how all our worlds quickly shrank and how we were compelled to encounter our inner thoughts and feelings. As downcast as such subject matters maybe, Small World looks beyond where the unusual times of lockdown living are a thing of the distant past. 

‘It’s Good To Be Back’ instrumentally buzzes with hope. The inspiration came when Mount considered "What is the lamest platitude people are going to be saying coming out of the past two years?" The track, despite its cheery feel, is filled with sorrowful heartbreak: "it feels so good to be back/but our love is gone",

Cruising on a grunge-like bassline, ‘Loneliness on the Run’ rings like Nirvana experimenting with electronica. Its minor riff, echoing Doolittle-era Pixies, accompanies a downbeat melodic vocal performance. The most engaging song on the record, ‘Loneliness…’ gives a glimpse of where Metronomy is heading. From the synth-heavy middle eight to the simple percussion pattern that closes the track it’s a fine example of the unconventional creativity that is itching to be explored further. 

The less is more approach that Small World embodies is best demonstrated on ‘I Lost My Mind’, a neat track full of minimalist instrumentation which allows room for Mount’s wistful and unique songwriting to flourish. The Britpop-esque ‘Things Will Be Fine’ meanwhile, with its reliance on acoustic guitar and lively drum patterns, lyrically plays with the idea of reflection — one of the key themes of the record.  

Looking back, reminiscing and rumination is where Small World nestles into its comfort zone. This, despite it occasionally seeming somewhat predictable, is fitting for the album Metronomy set out to make. Gone are the days of 2011’s experimental and pop-centric English Riviera. Metronomy, both in band-longevity and creativity, have grown up and seemingly chilled out. 

Always working cunningly outside of the mainstream, Metronomy is still striving to create engaging music, and Small World is a well-crafted taster of what is yet to come for a band well into their second decade. 

Small World arrives 18 February via Because.

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More about: Metronomy