Since the beginning, Metronomy's razor-sharp pop and quirky soundscapes have been as hard to pin down as they are unmistakable. On Metronomy Forever, the feeling that their music is whatever the band feels like doing at the moment is especially strong. That the group's sixth album feels like a diversion makes sense: Joseph Mount wrote these songs while working on Robyn's brilliant 2018 return Honey and recorded them after relocating from Paris to the English countryside. Where Metronomy consciously looked back on their past ...
Read More
Since the beginning, Metronomy's razor-sharp pop and quirky soundscapes have been as hard to pin down as they are unmistakable. On Metronomy Forever, the feeling that their music is whatever the band feels like doing at the moment is especially strong. That the group's sixth album feels like a diversion makes sense: Joseph Mount wrote these songs while working on Robyn's brilliant 2018 return Honey and recorded them after relocating from Paris to the English countryside. Where Metronomy consciously looked back on their past with Summer 08's reminiscences about the Nights Out days, this time they revisit that era's try-anything spirit. From its wobbly bass line to its taut beat and tweaked vocals, "Whitsand Bay" is a quintessential example of how Metronomy pairs the catchiest hooks with the strangest sounds. As the album unfolds, they remind listeners just how malleable that approach can be. "The Light" is Metronomy's version of a slow jam, pairing slinky grooves with self-deprecating lyrics ("I understand that you're not in love"); on "Walking in the Dark," they turn it into vaporous dub that literally echoes Mount's loneliness. Their skill at capturing complex moods with a wash of synths is most vivid on "Lately," a subtly affecting portrait of falling in love complete with tones that flutter like a stomach full of butterflies. The band's reflective frame of mind on Metronomy Forever also includes returning to some of their favorite influences. Prince casts a large purple shadow over the album, especially on the excellent "Insecurity," which riffs on Dirty Mind's new wave, and the sweet and sexy funk-pop of "Salted Caramel Ice Cream" and "Sex Emoji," a suitelike track that borrows some of Prince's ambition -- as well as his ability to combine the playful and the painful. Mount's encroaching middle age is just as vital a source of inspiration, whether he's wryly noting everyone else's marriages on "Wedding Bells" or reflecting on domestic bliss with the soft rock-tinged "Lately (Going Spare)." ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
Read Less
