Metronomy talk new releases, awkward encores and the festival season

UK electro act Metronomy was born out of Joseph Mount’s love for immersing himself in a world of music, where a solitary environment allowed him to completely submerge himself without the outside pressures.

The quartet was launched in 1999 and Mount’s practices have yet to change. “Anna, Oscar and Gbenga know that Metronomy is this thing that I started”, says the lone composer who would first need to wean himself off  “the old way of doing things” before any lyrical contributions occur.

Over the span of three albums Metronomy have grown while simultaneously refining their sound, an improvement that has left some critics sour-faced. As Mount speaks of the media’s reviews he does so with a furrowed brow, touching on the unwelcome ‘polished’ label, which has led many to believe Metronomy is lacking in ‘soul’. But what they perceive as ‘polished’ Mount interprets as well practiced. “It’s inevitable - any band that tours a lot is going to get better”.

Jasmine Phull speaks to Metronomy founder Joseph Mount as he comments on a history of solo-writing and a future of co-production: “I’m starting to think that I just might enjoy co-writing with people but not in a ‘oh shit I’m running out of ideas’ way”.

The English Riviera is set for release in April. Is the impending three month tour to showcase the album or have you trialed some tracks already?
We had a small UK tour in January so we played some of the new stuff then. It’s still sort of fresh to us but we’ll be touring just as the album’s out. It’s a bit of a nerve wracking experience but it’s nice to play something new.

Is there much of a divergence in sound compared to 2008’s Nights Out?
There’s definitely a different feel to it but for me it just adds a different dynamic to the set. It’s not that it’s so different it doesn’t fit but it’s nice to add a new layer. It certainly doesn’t feel odd playing them; it feels very natural.

How long was The English Riviera in the making?
The first actual session for the album was two Christmases ago. But if you put all the sessions side-by-side it would only really equal a month or two. Our bread and butter is touring so you can’t really turn down money that you need for the recording period. It feels like we’ve not really stopped.

What happened after the release of Nights Out in 2008?
On paper it’s been three years since the last album and people keep saying ‘why has it taken so long?’, but when you break down the timeframe you can see we were touring for 18 months after Nights Out came out and then we had a break for six months. When people say ‘three years’ I’m just like: ‘fuck it was three years’.  Although we did have a break it wasn’t a luxurious break (laughs).
 
No boat cruises then?
No. I guess because of the size of Metronomy we don’t, yet, have the luxury of being able to stop for a prolonged period of time. I think we still have to work pretty hard, really. Which we enjoy doing!

Did you try to bring a live sound to the album or is it quite a task translating it in a stage show?
It’s actually easy because I’m writing the songs imagining each person’s role in it. It does add this musicality, which you may not find in the older ones because they’re a lot more like ‘party tunes’. I guess that sounds like (puts on a pompous accent) ‘oh musicality blah blah’. They just seem to be quite effortless now but I guess that’s ‘cause we’re well drilled in it so now we can enjoy the whole process a lot more.

Is it less of a task now because you’ve found your ‘groove’?
We’re not slick but we certainly are much tighter than we have been. Sometimes you get these slightly discouraging reviews about how polished we are and you think: this is so annoying because that’s not what we were aiming for. I mean it’s what happens with every band when you they tour a lot - you get better. Somehow people are managing to say that it’s taken some ‘soul’ out of Metronomy. There’s nothing we can do about it unless we get drunk beforehand or something... (laughs).

What does Metronomy think about collaborations? Have you ever pondered the idea? Any dreams?
It’s always just been me writing and producing the albums and I really enjoy it because that’s how it started. I’m starting to think that I just might enjoy co-writing with people but not in a ‘oh shit I’m running out of ideas’ way. There would definitely have been a time when I thought that that’s what people would think. I think I’m growing fonder of the idea, you know other people have good ideas... it’s not just me (laughs).

Would that be something you’d have to put to the rest of the band first?
Anna, Oscar and Gbenga know that Metronomy is this thing that I started – there’s no power struggle or anything like that. The whole thing was born out of me being incredibly used to taking a long time do stuff and doing it in a solitary environment. I think they understand that I’d like them to be more involved but I first have to wean myself off the old way of doing things. Though there’s no rush to do it; it can happen naturally. There’s no point doing ‘it’ for the sake of doing it, it has to be that it adds something. 

You’ll be playing the Wireless Festival in July. How does Metronomy fare within the festival setting as opposed to a smaller venue?
At festivals there are a lot of people trying you out for the first time or wandering in and out of a tent that you’re playing in. There’s always the pressure of trying to ‘hold on’ to the audience. Having said that the festival season is great for bands because everyone is crossing paths and the weather’s great. It becomes a weekend job - where each weekend you’re going to festivals.

What’s the one thing you’ll see at a festival that you won’t see at a one-off gig?
I assume it must be like this in every country but in the UK if you go to a festival you basically go crazy for a weekend. Glastonbury is the one that I always think of and when it’s on it becomes like the biggest town in Somerset. But it’s just a town full of people drinking at three in the morning. There is something quite nice about a town full of people walking around literally doing nothing except listening to music. It’s like a utopia.

Explain the ‘encore’ bit to us. Is Metronomy into it?
People expect encores now. When we first started playing we didn’t know the standards in Europe and especially in places that were a bit of the beaten track who expected us to play for an hour and then come back for an encore. At that stage we only had about 30 minutes of material so all we could do was come back on and play a song we’ve already played. Now we do leave the stage, kind of knowing we’re going to come back on. I don’t want to ruin the magic but you can usually tell during the gig whether the crowd wants you to come back out. The day of the week is another factor, if it’s a Monday night people probably just want to go home (laughs). It’s a very awkward situation.

Words: Jasmine Phull
Twitter.com/jfool

Catch Metronomy on the Sunday at Wireless 2011, with Pulp, TV on the Radio, Foals and The Horrors. Tickets are available below.

Metronomy also play Parklife Festival in Manchester in June. View the full Parklife line-up and get Parklife tickets here.

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