Artists
1 March 2022
A zany atmosphere, a return to simple pleasures, to nature, and to more refined sounds… Joseph Mount asserts his style. The frontman of the British electro band Metronomy was inspired to compose by his impromptu return to his beloved home sweet home. The album Small World is the result of this creative retreat.
A disrupted daily life that allowed him to find inspiration and multiply collaborations: his father will be in charge of the album’s graphic design and his mother, a professional photographer, of its cover. A total family reconnection and a desire to speak to young and old alike, which can be felt in the nine tracks of the album.
How did your album Small World come about?
« The album was composed in 2020 during the confinement. For the first time I stayed at home for several months at a time. I had a classic family routine: I looked after the children, I gardened… It was very unusual for me. And it was this daily routine that inspired me. «
» The pandemic itself did not inspire me. But everything around it did. My children, my parents, everyday life… I tried to use all the emotions in me and those around me to write this album. «
One word to describe your album?
« Natural. It’s really a natural expression of something that comes from a familiar and comfortable place: home. »
What are the themes of the album ?
« In Things will be fine I talk about the weight of responsibility that one can suddenly feel when leaving childhood. And the classic reaction of parents to this with the mythical « everything will be fine » that we throw out without necessarily thinking.
Your mood for the song Life and death?
« A certain sadness. I think it’s an emotion like any other that you have to accept. I was at the point where I had done almost the whole album and strangely enough I hadn’t really alluded to all the sadness of the last few years. »
Do you have a writing ritual ?
« Not really. I try to write music in any way I can. I’ve learned that it’s not about being in the studio or with a guitar in your hand to create a song that I like. Any opportunity is good. »
Your relationship with your home?
« I explored this question in the song It’s good to be back. As someone who travels a lot, I found it exciting to stay there with my loved ones. By the way, it’s my mother who is in the cover photo and my father who did the layout. «
What is the point of your track I’ve lost my mind?
» It’s a kind of meditation on the daily life that we live over and over again and where we wonder if we are going crazy. At the same time, it’s a concern for other people who are confronted with this same reflection. »
