Metronomy – Small World

Warning; for anyone looking for trademark Metronomy kookiness, Small World might not be the thing.

This is their pandemic album, and, naturally, it skews a fair bit more towards the macabre than their usual fare. And with track titles such as Life and Death and I’ve Lost My Mind, one could be forgiven for fearing Joe Mount has gone melodramatic on his seventh LP. Thankfully, this is not the case. Small World may be gloomy compared to the likes of debut release Pip Paine, but at its best, it’s still perky enough to recognisably be the same act behind The Look.

Mount has spoken of how the pandemic pushed him towards more straight-edged songwriting, and that’s immediately apparent throughout the record. Album highlight Love Factory demonstrates this perfectly: a tightly-wound piano pop banger, it’s direct, catchy and fun. “Her love is like a factory – oh she’s so industrious” is a hell of a hook, both melodically and lyrically, and will struggle to be beaten all year. Elsewhere, the bluesy Loneliness on the Run twists and turns via a reverb-laden guitar line, while Right on Time is the white-boy disco-funk Mount has mastered over the years.

Things aren’t always quite as full of personality as that, though. Small World smooths out a lot of the quirks and corners from Metronomy’s sound, and at times this is to the album’s detriment. Opener Life and Death sets lofty expectations with its spare arrangement, but is neither lyrically deep enough to pass as a moving slow burner, nor melodically rich enough to grab attention as a straight-up pop song. Things Will Be Fine and It’s Good to Be Back are pleasant enough but aren’t especially instant. They embody the 90s American indie sound that the album leans into: it’s pulled off well sonically, with warm bass tones and rich guitar textures, but feels a little safe. At times, it veers a little close to Spotify-core for its own good. This handful of tracks could be by anyone.

There’s plenty to enjoy about Small World, and long-term Metronomy fans will doubtless be delighted. But the tracks on offer here are unlikely to convert sceptics. The melodies are as strong as ever – it’s just a shame the edges have been sanded down so much.

Charlie Peters

Small World is released on 18^th February 2022. For further information or to order the album visit Metronomy’s website here.

Watch the video for the singleThings Will Be Fine here: