Returning to Mexico was a promise.
Joseph Mount talks about the band's hiatus, the inspiration he found away from the stage, the future of Metronomy and why they chose Mexico to mark their live return.
After a brief pause that left the immediate future of Metronomy, Joseph Mount He is ready to return to the stage. What began as a necessary break to regain inspiration ended up becoming a period marked by fatherhood, new musical ideas and a renewed excitement for playing live. Before their next dates in Mexico, we spoke with the British musician about the last years of the band, the construction of a possible new album and the special relationship he maintains with the Mexican public, whom he had even promised would be the first to see his return.
Indie Rocks!: Thank you very much for your time, Joseph. How are you?
Metronomy: Very well thank you. I'm out here, getting a little cold. And you?
GO!: Well, a little sick, but very excited to talk to you. I want to start by talking about the last years of the band. In 2023 they announced a kind of pause in the project and now, in just over a month, they will be playing in Mexico City. I would like you to give us a brief account of what has happened behind the scenes during these last three years. What has become of Metronomy during this time?
M: I'll try to remember it. The last time we were playing concerts, some of them were right in Mexico. We were finishing the tour of Small World and, from time to time, it happens to me that I get a little tired of all this, in the best possible way. It's a lot of work and you need to constantly stay motivated.
Sometimes I just feel like I need new inspiration. I discovered that taking a step away from what you like to do most can help you love it even more. That was my idea when we decided to take a break. There was no definite plan about when to come back or when we would play again. My intention was to wait until I had a record that I was really proud of and then come back.
But then I had a baby.
GO!: Congratulations!
M: Thank you. And well, after that I practically did nothing more than take care of a baby and change diapers. But curiously, that experience was also very inspiring to make music.
In the end, it all led us to where we are now because we received an invitation to play at a festival in London. We thought, “Why not?” It seemed like the right time to come back and find out what it felt like to be back on stage.
We accepted the proposal and then I remembered a promise I made to the Mexican public the last time we played there. I think it was in Guadalajara. I told them that we would take a break and that when we returned, Mexico would be the first place we would play.
So we organized these concerts as a kind of warm-up before the festival in the UK. The funny thing is that that festival ended up being cancelled. So now we're basically just going to play in Mexico.
GO!: I just wanted to ask you that. Why Mexico? Why fulfill that promise here before anywhere else?
M: Because we love playing in Mexico. We love our fans there. They are some of the most passionate and committed people we have ever met. Plus, when you're in a band you don't always have the opportunity to do anything resembling giving a gift to someone you care about. And I think this was the closest thing to that: surprising our Mexican fans.
I know that saying that these concerts are a kind of warm-up may sound like we're trying things out with you, but in reality the first concerts are usually the most exciting. There appears a different version of the band. It seemed like a nice way to give them back some of the love they have always given us.
GO!: The Mexican public is going crazy with these dates. Furthermore, it has been a great year for us: you are returning, recently The xx also returned…
M: I know. They copied our idea! Although they arrived first, I swear the idea was ours first.
GO!: Here we are very excited to have you back. And I just wanted to ask you about these concerts. What have you been preparing? How will he be setlist? What can we expect as an audience??
M: It's interesting because there isn't a new album yet, but I'm already starting to imagine what it will be like. So we've tried to completely rethink the live show with the future in mind.
For me that means simplifying many things. Back to the essentials. Trying to play the songs as well as possible without making them too extravagant on stage. We're also older and I think that forces you to reevaluate the way you do things.
On the other hand, some of the first songs we started rehearsing were songs that we hadn't played for a long time. I felt it was important to get them back and do them justice. That's why I think this show will feel different for us and I hope for the audience as well.
GO!: It sounds like a concert designed especially for fans of the band.
M: Yes, definitely. Although we will continue playing the hits, of course. But maybe there will be room for more specific, less obvious songs, and that excites me a lot.
GO!: And how is the energy within the band? Is there emotion? Nerves?
M: Both things. We are all very happy to play together again and travel again. But yes, there are also nerves. I think another reason why we wanted to return to Mexico is because we know that the public here receives us with great affection. We feel that they are going to help us cope with those nerves.
GO!: Thinking a little more about the future, could these dates be the beginning of a new stage? After Mexico, will you work on a new album again?
M: Yes. This whole idea of returning to playing made sense only if it led us to something bigger. And for me that something has to be a new album. That is the next objective. I want to make an album before committing to more concerts. A full tour will surely come later, but for now what I really want is to make an album.
GO!: I have always found it fascinating to know the creative process of artists. How is a Metronomy album born?
M: It changes a lot every time. There are times when I do practically everything from a laptop and other times when I work inside a studio. But it almost always starts the same: playing with ideas, little loops and melodies on the computer.
However, for this next album I want something different. I want it to be a real studio album. I want to record it together with the band, go somewhere specific to do it and work all together. I think the attitude behind this album will be very different.
GO!: It sounds incredible. I think hearing the whole band working in the studio will be very exciting.
M: I believe it too.
GO!: I don't want to take up much more of your time, so I'm going with some quick questions to get to know you a little better. If you were a wrestler entering the ring, what song would you do it to?
M: Good question. I think I would choose “I Wanna Be Sedated” of Ramones.
GO!: I love the answer. For someone who has never heard Metronomy and wants to get into their discography, what song would you recommend?
M: I would say “Heartbreaker”of Nights Out. I think it was the second song I wrote and, in a way, it works as a blueprint for everything I've tried to do since.
GO!: And for someone who is going to the concert in June, what state of mind would you recommend arriving in?
M: With an understanding attitude. Willing to forgive mistakes or small accidents on stage.
The truth is that now that the UK festival is no longer happening, these concerts exist simply because we want to have fun. There will only be two shows this year and both will be in Mexico.
So go with the desire to have a good time.
GO!: I love it. And finally, if you had to describe Metronomy in just three words, what would they be?
M: Sad, but danceable.
GO!: It seems like a perfect description to me. Joseph, thank you very much for your time. I'm very excited to see them again in Mexico and I hope to hear that new album soon.
M: Thank you so much. See you soon.
