Metronomy is Gabriel Stebbing, Joseph Mount, and Oscar Cash

Electro Pop Rock trio Metronomy make their debut appearance on the West Coast this January, promoting their second album Nights Out, a cinematic and symphonious narration vocalized and “electro-fied” by the talents of Joseph Mount, Oscar Cash, and Gabriel Stebbing. Often characterized as wonky pop and amiable (Mount was voted by NME as “Nicest Guy” in music of 2006), the group, led by London native, Joseph Mount, first began as a solo venture, creating beats and reverb from the 1980s digital age on a computer sold to him by his father. Cash, Mount’s cousin and part-time saxophonist, and Stebbing, a former band mate from earlier teenage and post adolescent musical excursions, first supported Mount with live performances as the Food Groups, incorporating idiosyncratic light performances consisting of synchronized chest illuminations via push lights…CLICK!

Metronomy in the studio

Metronomy has a new album to follow up to 2006’s Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe), perfecting their characterized music of discernible attitude and sound. Videos of tracks “Holiday”, “Heartbreaker”, and “A Thing for You” come to embody their music in abstract interpretive dance sequences, as well as abusive karaoke balls, terrorizing the trio beyond the textualized monitor.

The new album, Nights Out with artwork by Philip Castle (A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket) satisfies electro dance needs and pop rock principles in its delivery, adhering to the distinct tune and originality of the group. It grows from the overture of “Nights Intro”, and will easily become your motorway soundtrack.

This month group will be touring the West Coast for the first time, making their Los Angeles debut at the El Rey Theatre on January 21. Joseph recently took some Greenwich Mean Time to discuss the new album, and anticipations for the upcoming tour. 

Thanks for talking with us.

Ah it’s a pleasure.

You guys have been described as wonky pop, how do you feel about that?

I think our music can be described as pop. But I guess… there is quite a lot of mainstream music or pop music that’s kind of wonky.

What are your feelings about visiting the West Coast?

It’s our first trip [to the West Coast]. We are all kind of excited. I mean we have been to New York quite a few times… I know that there is a huge difference between the UK and America. I’m kind of curious. I mean, I’ve seen it on the telly.

Do you guys have any tourist destinations or plans…maybe Disneyland?

Oh, yeah, absolutely.  I don’t know if we are going to have a much time for tourism, but the last time when we were in America, we toured in a van. And you would be amazed how much we enjoy sitting in a van for like 10 hours just watching the world go by.

What were some of your earlier influences?

I grew up on stuff like the Beatles, and then got into Nirvana and things like that, but I always loved groups like Talking Heads and David Bowie. I’m a big fan of the sound of a band, and I think the bands that I am attracted to, are the ones that have got a really, really recognizable sound. I feel like the Ramones as well are good for that… even bands like Wilco. All kinds of things really.

Nights Out album artwork by Philip Castle.

Nights Out, compared with Pin Paine, carries more of a narrative quality.

That was for a number of reasons. With this most recent record, I wanted to make an album. It kind of upsets me that everyone keeps talking how albums are dead, and how everyone can pick, or kind of cherry pick songs. I grew up with records, and falling in love with albums, and getting to know the track listing and anticipating the next song and that kind of thing. So I definitely wanted to do something that was aiming to be a record like that, a record that people could enjoy and get a bit immersed into. Having a loose narrative is kind of a good of way of doing that.

The tracks “Nights Intro” and “Nights Outro” are very poignant to this idea, giving a hello and goodbye to the album.

Yeah. Absolutely…when you are involved music, and you are talking to people involved from record labels and they have quite a business head when they’re talking about it… they’re all kind of anticipating what they’re going to do when a record stops selling and things like that. I hope that people always make albums because they are ways of encapsulating a year in your life and I think that’s such a nice thing. It’s not something that should be forgotten about because of the business side of things not working out.

How did you comes up with concept of the album? Title tracks “Holiday” and “Heartbreaker”, lend to a possible spat or break up.

I think a song like “Heartbreaker” is not necessarily… it’s more like “I am not good to the ones that I have had to say that [to someone else] about a girl”, but I think I have definitely pissed a lot of people off by talking about girls. And I think this is a kind of an apology.

Metronomy has toured with CSS, Justice and the Klaxons. Are there any other performers you’d like to perform with?

I think we have been quite lucky really, touring with the bands that we kind of friends with. I don’t think there is one that I would want to spend months with. I get more excited about playing, or being surprised by bands that I’ve not heard of.

Are there any collaborations that you would want to do?

I am going to work with this girl called the Cocknbullkid. She’s a young, female singer, and again, its like the thing with new artists. I enjoy being involved with that. There all kinds if things I’d like to, I love to do. I would like to somehow work with… I don’t know, people like Kanye West, quite successful people (laughs). And I’m up [for], and into anything.

What are your anticipations for the upcoming shows?

I just think we are really excited. We will be traveling this January to Australia, Japan and end up on the West Coast. It’s something that allows us to travel and see the world. I think everyone is excited, and almost forgotten the fact that we have to play shows.

You guys are on Holiday.

Exactly.

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Metronomy West Coast Tour
Jan 19 2009 Standard Hotel (DJ SET), Hollywood
Jan 20 2009 Wasted Space, Las Vegas
Jan 21 2009 El Rey, Los Angeles
Jan 22 2009 Popscene, San Francisco
Jan 23 2009 Holocene, Portland
Jan 24 2009 Biltmore, Vancouver
Jan 25 2009 Chop Suey, Seattle
Jan 28 2009 Pink Bar, San Diego