ALBUM REVIEW: Metrolight – Metrolight

Ohio-based duo METROLIGHT have put out their self-titled debut record. The duo of David James and John Petkovic were also the founders of post-punk band DEATH OF SAMANTHA, as well as having history with other rock bands like COBRA VERDE, SWEET APPLE and SAD PLANETS. So, with that background you might have mixed opinions: “Why are two rock stars now doing a synth pop project?” and, “Surely with all that experience they’ll create something incredible.” Well, it’s fair to say that those mixed opinions match the mixed result we find in front of us.

Beautiful Prisons opens with a funky beat and echo-like vocals mixed in with some gentle guitar and bass. Now to begin with you might feel positive as one could imagine this is how PULP would sound if they had experimented with techno music, however you would expect there to some composition change or drop but it never comes. It seems to be just an intro track, but this is a small sample of some of the disappointment we’ll experience throughout the record.

Now don’t get us wrong, there are moments where we have a lot of fun. Stranger From Strangeland sounds like a techno mash-up of We Built This City; Satellite Station is something you can picture being used in Cyberpunk 2077; and Eurovision has vibes very similar to the show with the campiness to match. Baby You’re A Blur would be perfect to enjoy on a night out and Les Etoiles would be perfect to played in a video game during a bleak moment or a dark conversation.

But on the other hand, it’s rather easy to switch off and at points it feels like the record is trying to be a low-budget ENTER SHIKARI – we’re looking at you Ghost Driving – or a too tame version of 100 GECS – we’re looking at you Asteroids.

Metrolight is an overall mixed bag. It might be because it’s not for us, maybe those who are more inclined towards synth pop and techno, but it’s not really something we’d actively seek out to listen to. It would be one thing if there was novelty side that 100 GECS excel in but it just doesn’t get there. If we were to sum up this record in a short sentence it’s that it feels the soundtrack of your last two braincells. In fact this would be a perfect alternative to that one scene in Spaced where Daisy has an interview and The Magic Roundabout plays in the background as she struggles to concentrate.

Rating: 6/10

Metrolight is out now via Tee Pee Records.

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