User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info

Summer 08
by
Summer 08 Image
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

  • Summary: The fifth full-length release for the British electronic band led by Joe Mount features guest appearances from Mixmaster Mike and Robyn.
Buy Now
Buy on

Top Track

Night Owl
Don't need your number, babe, but I'll take it anyway I spent my nights recalling our showers in the morning And what you said that day, I'll take it... See the rest of the song lyrics
See Full Track List »
Powered by

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Drowned In Sound
    Jun 29, 2016
    90
    The two sides of the group, both new and old, combine gloriously in Summer, creating a pure pop climax some of the supposed greats of the genre would be proud of.
  2. Boston Globe
    Jul 1, 2016
    80
    Even at its moodiest, this is a deliriously inventive and often whimsical dance record.
  3. The Telegraph (UK)
    Jul 6, 2016
    80
    He knows how to fill a dance floor. But his music comes with the sharp awareness of how it feels to stand, alienated and feigning aloofness, on the sidelines.
  4. The 405
    Jul 5, 2016
    75
    Mount remains an exceptional musical craftsman, who continues to shift and change and toy with his formula, which is proven to result in fun listens like Summer 08.
  5. Pitchfork
    Jul 11, 2016
    72
    In anyone else’s hands, Summer 08 might seem strange and cold. But from Mount, as ornery as it is, it feels like a gesture of trust.
  6. musicOMH.com
    Jul 11, 2016
    70
    The instrumental Summer Jam also seems a bit throwaway, and being the closing track also ensures that the album ends on a bit of a damp squib rather than a flourish. Overall though, there is more than enough on Summer 08 to reconfirm Metronomy’s position as one of this country’s wittiest, most original and purely enjoyable pop acts.
  7. Consequence
    Jun 30, 2016
    50
    After starting strong, Summer 08 fizzles out, much like a failed night on the town.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Muddsjr
    Aug 14, 2016
    8
    Summer 08 feels like Metronomy's most darkly complete, and complex album. The simplistic 80s sound and coy lyricism allow for more fascinationSummer 08 feels like Metronomy's most darkly complete, and complex album. The simplistic 80s sound and coy lyricism allow for more fascination to shine through as the music takes you to dim, melancholic atmospheres. It's their most well intentioned and convincing album yet.… Expand
  2. marcmyworks
    Jul 13, 2016
    7
    Not the best Metronomy album, however its mixture of 80s, 90s and early 2000's beats makes it feel like a feature length after school special.Not the best Metronomy album, however its mixture of 80s, 90s and early 2000's beats makes it feel like a feature length after school special. Download: Old Skool, Back Together, Hang Me Out to Dry.… Expand
  4. thebassline
    Aug 19, 2016
    7
    Summer 08 is somewhat of a sharp turn conceptually for Joseph Mount, the mastermind behind London-based act Metronomy. Originally started as aSummer 08 is somewhat of a sharp turn conceptually for Joseph Mount, the mastermind behind London-based act Metronomy. Originally started as a one-man bedroom project, Metronomy had gradually transitioned to being a live band, with matching clothes and band members appearing in music videos. However, eight years of touring since the release of 2008’s Nights Out have taken their toll on Mount; having recently become father, he decided to sidestep this career for a period of time. Instead, he locked himself up in a studio near Paris and recorded an entire album alone. An obsessively self-referential album, Summer 08 not only serves as a goodie to Metronomy’s fans during his live hiatus, but also seems to have brought out a pronounced sentiment of nostalgia in his work.

    Revolving around his last summer of ferocious nights of partying and cultivating short-lived flings and romances, Summer 08 is a transitional record in that it not only hangs in an awkward spot in the career of Metronomy, but also revisits tropes and motifs that were previously elaborated on in Mount’s past work, notably afromentioned Nights Out and 2011’s The English Riviera: Tracks like “Mick Slow” and “Summer Jam” feature Mount’s brassyy warbling synthesizers. Elsewhere, the bobbling bass lines that made The English Riviera so unbelievably groovy resurface on the more upbeat cuts from this album. The parallels go down to very specific production decisions, as in “My House”, where a funky chorus bass directly references a very similar line from “She Wants”. As skillfully as Mount employs his vast repertoire of trademark sounds, it is bound to attract unfavourable comparisons from long-time fans, who will rightfully claim that Metronomy, at this point, are stagnating sonically and creatively.

    In a way, Summer 08 explores two distinct sentiments that coincide with different phases in Mount’s life. One part of the album indulges in a blithe goofiness, as in opener “Back Together”, where Mount – perhaps jokingly – duets with himself in a dialogue about scheduling a date with a new-found love interest. He manages to impersonate quite a bit of variety in tones, both lyrically and in terms of singing: weepiness (“Miami Logic”), mockery (“I’ve got silver and signet ring / From night climbing and fine dining” , “Old Skool”), infatuation (”The way you taunt me / Must be wet softly” , ”16 Beat”). However, around centerpiece “Hang Me out to Dry”, a duet with Swedish singer Robyn, the album takes a turn and the atmosphere shifts noticeably, introducing a much more bitter-sweet and introspective note. Robyn and Mount shed light on the more mundane and unpleasant aspects of adolescent love – “Monday night, running late, getting you from your parents' place / In and out, to the show, trying to fix the radio”. When Mount sings “I remember first night out, let the dance now / Flower shaking in my hands now / Trying to give you something more than / The other ones who came before me” , the feelings of juvenile self-doubt he evokes not only contrast with the careless banter in the earlier tracks; for the first time, the sincerity in his voice seems genuine.    … Expand
  5. Scratch
    Dec 29, 2016
    5
    While a few of the tracks are definitely worth listening to, Summer 08 is what happens when you give an architect their old tools back, onlyWhile a few of the tracks are definitely worth listening to, Summer 08 is what happens when you give an architect their old tools back, only to find out they've forgotten how to use them. The nostalgic sounds of Metronomy from days past are there, but feel almost forced together to make songs that feel soulless and are straight up unpleasant.… Expand

Current Music Releases

Full List »
99 Band on the Run [50th Anniversary Edition] - Paul McCartney & Wings
95 If I don't make it, I love u - Still House Plants
95 The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow - Charles Lloyd
91 COWBOY CARTER - Beyoncé
91 The Carnegie Hall Concert - Alice Coltrane
90 Iechyd Da - Bill Ryder-Jones
90 This Could Be Texas - English Teacher
89 I Got Heaven - Mannequin Pussy
89 Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
89 All Born Screaming - St. Vincent
88 What Now - Brittany Howard
88 Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend
88 Hey Panda - The High Llamas
88 Orquídeas - Kali Uchis
88 The Past Is Still Alive - Hurray for the Riff Raff
87 Filthy Underneath - Nadine Shah
87 i/o - Peter Gabriel
87 Blue Lips - ScHoolboy Q
87 Bright Future - Adrianne Lenker
87 Bite Down - Rosali
All Current Music »