Entirely written, played and produced by sonic auteur Joe Mount, SUMMER 08 finds the multi-instrumentalist reflecting on his experiences around the time that Metronomy first landed a major breakthrough with the NIGHTS OUT album – the guilt at spending key moments in loved ones' lives in the back of a tour bus, and the confused mania of finding himself a critical darling.

It’s a concept that’s been gestating ever since, but the opportunities and challenges that resulted in the expansive, ambitious and Mercury Prize-nominated THE ENGLISH RIVIERA and the Motown-inspired LOVE LETTERS understandably took precedence.

“I had those other albums – and how I wanted to record in bigger studios – out of my system,” he explains. “I wanted to make another record with the naivety of NIGHTS OUT: ten tracks, straight up, upbeat. Write another banger, then another, and don’t really think about it.”

Mount’s aim for SUMMER 08 was to make a mature, eclectic pop record in the vein of classic works by OutKast, David Bowie and Daft Punk. Recorded in Black Box Studios in France with mixing courtesy of Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie) and Neal Pogue (OutKast), it’s the most daring and creative Metronomy album for a good reason – they won’t be touring it any time soon. “I want to have a break from touring but I don’t want a break from putting out music,” says Mount, noting that he wants to prioritise time with his two young children.

The album’s first single ‘Old Skool’ is a cowbell-clattered cocaine pop belter that glimpses '00s London from the backseat of an Addison Lee. It descends into a chaotic scratch frenzy courtesy of Beastie Boys’ turntablist and Mount’s childhood hero Mix Master Mike.