MORE like Summer 78. The delicate 'sixties trippiness of English Riviera and boppy 'eighties organ of Love Letters now seem to have been consigned to the Totnes tips and Dawlish dustbins in favour of disco.
The bass is much more prominent too; funky even. On Back Together it's straight out of Heatwave's Boogie Nights from 1976 (now that was a summer). Elsewhere it ranges from bouncy prog to old school Chic on the album's first single Old Skool.
If your only acquaintance with Metronomy was 2011's The Look, this album will seem very strange. The songs are much slicker and that loses some of the innocence of the early work. In part this is down to Joe Mount producing the whole thing himself.
Metronomy's Joe Mount
He's already announced that Summer 08 won't be taken on the road in summer 16, so free from the shackles of pondering 'how the hell do we play this stuff live' he has thrown everything, including the kitchen sink, into the mix.
The result may appear very retro, but actually it is down to very modern recording techniques. By pulling in so many disparate elements Metronomy have come up with a style that is uniquely theirs. Now it's a catchy style. Miami Logic and the oddly titled Mick Slow will be inside your head for a week, after just one listen, and you won't be sitting still for long when 16 Beat comes on.
No idea who to liken this band with. At times Wild Beasts, perhaps, but isn't that is a good thing in this world of identi-kit artists? More importantly Metronomy have come up with one of the most intriguing and brave albums in many a year. It won't be for everyone, but many will absolutely adore Summer 08.
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