Small World

Album review

This seventh album hails the start of a “new phase” for Metronomy, whose lead writer and producer Joseph Mount has been hidden away in the English countryside since Metronomy Forever in 2019. The English band’s new release is, understandably, marked by the pandemic which has reduced the planet to a “small world.” The track list is also small, featuring only 9 tracks compared to the 17 on the previous album (which was a beautiful blend of pop rock, funk and house). Here, Metronomy is stripped back to the bare bones, sharing little pieces of simple, cheery pop (although the tracks that open and close the album have a different vibe: Life and Death possesses a dark undertone, and I Have Seen Enough could easily have been sung by Lou Reed). But, in the middle, the band opt for a positive, uplifting sound that’s as effortless as it is bouncy, whether on the single It’s Good To Be Back, which is destined to be a festival hit, Love Factory or Right On Time, which are songs that are made to be blasted out at full volume on summer trips to the beach. The central tracks are I Lost My Mind, complete with whistle solo, and Hold Me Tonight, featuring Dana Margolin, the singer of the up-and-coming Brighton band, Porridge Radio. Maybe this is the perfect album to start a Covid-free year? © Smael Bouaici/Qobuz