Released: 13th September 2019
Rating: ★★★
Life seems to be very good for Joe Mount these days, with the creative genius behind Metronomy relocating from the busy streets of Paris to the English countryside for a life of peace surrounded by rich greenery. So for once, ‘Metronomy Forever’, finds him at a tranquil point in his existence with no alarms and no surprises. The ambient opener ‘Wedding’ initially suggests that we are in ‘happily ever after’ territory, but as a thunderstorm breaks overhead there is a hint that there is still more than enough drama left in Mount’s world.
Tied together by a series of ambient interludes, this sixth record skips through the genres over seventeen tracks like commercial radio. If ‘Whitsand Bay’ describes a search for peace away from the bustle of cities, much of the album highlights that a pleasant life doesn’t erase the worries. Similarly to Robyn (Mount produced last year’s ‘Honey’), he wraps emotional troubles inside slices of irresistible dance-pop like ‘Insecurity’ or the low-key funk of ‘The Light’. Even the seemingly frothy’ Sex Emoji’ has a sadness to it, a fragile promise that ‘I swear I’m okay baby, even though my heart aches’ at the end of probably the first song in history to be based on that digital aubergine.
But ultimately, this is a record from someone that chooses to focus on the good things in life. There are ridiculously catchy moments, like the deceptively-simple-but-actually-a-proper-bop of ‘Lying Low’, or the disco-licious ‘Salted Caramel Ice Cream’. But it is the tracks like ‘Wedding Bells’ and ‘Lately Going Spare’, deep with a simple yearning and romance that give ‘Metronomy Forever’ its heart. Let the good times last forever.
Jamie MacMillan
