Now on album number seven, Metronomy has continued where many of their 2000s cool band peers have dropped off along the way. Small World is a return to simple pleasures, nature, an embracing in part of more pared down, songwriterly sonics (some moments wouldnt sound amiss on a Wilco release), all while asking broader existential questions: which feels at least somewhat rooted in the period of time during which it was made 2020. For all that Mount seems to think he has made a comparatively sombre record, much of Small World still pulses with the zesty, tongue-in-cheek joie de vivre youd expect of a Metronomy record.
So sure, things are different now Joe Mount is getting older and whats on his mind is changing, but that doesnt mark a change in quality for Metronomy. An immaculate set of tracks, Joe Mounts ability as a songwriter and arranger shines through on Small World, evergreen. Metronomy might be growing up, but theyre not afraid to still have fun with it all. Through the tumultuous ebb and flow of the years, Metronomy continues to endure and make great pop music and, really, thats all that we could ask for.
