I recently spent an afternoon with Metronomy in a recording studio in Hoxton, talking about their new single "Holiday", a track that, despite its name, hints at a second album darkly enriched with dramatic disco-pop. Joe Mount is the founder of Metronomy and songwriter/producer for the outfit, with Gabriel Stebbing and Oscar Cash filling the live void with some extra synchronised dancing and howling.
Dazed Digital: So are you enjoying the mid flow of festival season?
Joe Mount: Yeah. We’ve done quite a few of them so far. We’ve done some ridiculous ones actually, one-offs that I’m sure you will never see again, Like Wakestock.
DD: The wakeboarding festival?
JM: Europe’s biggest wakeboarding festival actually!
DD: How do you feel about playing these kind of shows? Is it like supporting a band you’ve no musical association with?
JM: Some of them can be a little more soul destroying and feel more like work, but then Glastonbury was amazing. We’re also headlining our stages at Latitude and Bestival so that’ll be great.
DD: Tell us a little bit more about the new single "Holiday"?
JM: The new single "Holiday" won’t be a throwaway summer anthem, wafting over the smell of all day breakfasts on plastic chair terraces, in between Sabrina’s "Boys Boys Boys", that’s for sure.
DD: I'm a bit freaked out by its spooked out disco vibes. Is that what we should expect from this album?
JM: Depressing disco! No it's cheery and chirpy... isn’t it?
Gabriel Stebbing: It's not.
JM: Most of the songs are not overtly cheery I must say.
DD: The new album is called Nights Out. Is it about your nights out?
JM: Well that was kind of the idea with it, I mean it’s not literal and as far as the songwriting goes it’s very basic. I have only just started to try and write lyrics so I guess it does end up being about girls and bars.
DD: With Metronomy’s long list of remixing clients you could have expected some very diverse guest appearances drafted in on this new record.
JM: I have always found with those albums that have people featured, it feels a bit like a compilation.
DD: Like showing off your friends?
JM: Yeah! I think its good to have like one voice, otherwise you're not really sure where it's coming from.
DD: Recently it seems like bands are dabbling with a more eclectic mixture of influences. Are you excited to be in the industry right now?
GS: It’s a lot more positive these days.
JM: I think it's great that bands like us are getting support because we have no intention of playing it safe. I think for a major like EMI to sign Late of the Pier is pretty risky. We were listening to the album and it's pretty crazy but in a really exciting way. I think if I was 15 and I heard that I would be like “Wow what the fuck is this?”
DD: Have you heard anything out there that you feel may have been musically influenced by Metronomy?
GS: We have heard rumblings that Wil.I.Am’s new single "Heartbreaker" is basically a rip off of us.
DD: How do you feel about that?
GS: Oh it’s not true though is it?
DD: It could well be?
Oscar Cash: Well, if it was true we would be very flattered.
DD: Like infiltrating pop music through the back door?
JM: Infiltrating through Wil.I .Am’s back door - eurghhhhh!