Metroland interview: ‘Every new release is a fresh new audio canvas’
Metroland
The Belgian electro-pop duo Metroland released “Forum” a few months ago, an electrifying conceptual hymn to the industrial revolution of the 21st century, a sonic journey exploring the crossroads of innovation and nostalgia. Fresh and experimental vintage electronic prowess for fans of the melodic Düsseldorf synth style. We talked with Passenger A and Passenger S about this new album, while new singles from this album are in the pipeline.
The album is available on Bandcamp and on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore.
SL. “Forum” is described as a continuation and evolution of your previous work “0”. Can you explain the conceptual link between these two albums and how the EP “Industry” serves as a bridge between them?
Passenger A&S: When “0” was not yet released and seriously delayed by many different factors, we were toying with the idea to extend the ‘World Economic Forum’ concept around the industrial revolutions. We planned 5 EP’s, each with a variance of the song “Industry 4.0” alongside new tracks. However, once “0” was out, we no longer had the urge to release these foreseen EP’s. We both felt it was simply not enough and, to be honest, it was close to being even pointless. After some creative discussions and a Belgian beer or 2 (make that 4) an album felt better, more significant and certainly in the afterglow of “0”, unfinished business.
The album indeed draws inspiration from the World Economic Forum in Davos. How did this influence shape the themes and musical direction of “Forum”?
Passenger A&S: It is in fact almost never the theme itself that shapes the songs or the direction. We mostly start from a sample, a sound, or a title. While building the song we come across other sounds and samples and even then what we had in mind to start with could turn out totally different from that. “Forum” is an album which is not as dark as its predecessor, but you can surely put it alongside the atmosphere and direction of it.
Tracks like “Happy Nothing”, “The Great Reset”, and “Infotainment” showcase your melodic side. Can you discuss the inspiration and creative process behind these particular songs?
Passenger A&S: These 3 songs all started from a totally different base. “Happy Nothing” came from a textual idea, whereas “The Great Reset” was built on a sampled baseline and “Infotainment” started from a melody. While melodies are a continuum of Metroland’s way of working, we don’t really have 1 way to go about a song, nor do we start together in the studio every time. It is quite possible that a Passenger comes up with a demo or a loop of a few seconds.
“Forum” includes experimental song structures and fresh sounds. What new techniques or approaches did you explore in this album that differ from your previous work?
Passenger A&S: Every album is an occasion to broaden our sound palette and discover new electronics. However, we never set out from the start with a clear goal; it mainly comes along during the creative process; our more ‘experimental’ side you could say. Sometimes, we even delete parts of a song or a sound, and yes, even sometimes a complete song is being omitted. We have around 5 to 6 songs that never make it on a release, and we never re-use any of these either. We do have our special things and tricks that we tend to do with shifting notes, trying different layers or strange effects. But we never look back, never try to copy something from our past, or use any of the sounds we used before. Every new release is a fresh new audio canvas where we use different approaches in sound scaping.
The EP “Industry” features different versions of the industrial revolutions, culminating in a 10-minute epic experience on the CD edition. How did you conceptualize and create this multi-part industrial journey? And why these different versions always between CD, digital, vinyls… it’s quite conceptual for METROLAND isn’t it?
Passenger A&S: Apart from the music, there is art, there is concept, there is hard work. So, if you “only” want digital, you might get less. We strongly believe in the item as an entity to complete our message. It is only by holding, reading the booklet and seeing the full package that you understand what that message ought to be. Digital platforms should be an argument to buy a physical version on an album and not “the end”. We want to deliver value to those who appreciate it. That requires much more input from our end, more songs, more art, but in the end, it brings much more value. And yes, this is a harsh view, we confirm. But since we entered the music business in 2012 with “Mind The Gap” we get the appraisal for that from our loyal fan base.
Your music often reflects a blend of innovation and nostalgia. How do you balance these elements to create a sound that feels both fresh and rooted in the vintage electronic tradition?
Passenger A&S: It is the blend of our very rich background and music collectors from 80s to modern, from dark wave to electronics and everything in-between that results in the typical Metroland sound. Where Passenger S is inspired by dark music but loves the high-pitched sequences, Passenger A loves club stuff but prefers not to make things too jolly. We push each other in both directions and extremes, but we meet each other in the middle. It is that synergy that keeps us going, that delivers that Metroland attitude.
The tracks “Activity as a Timetrigger,” “Baukultur,” and “Quantum” continue the trajectory set by “Industry.” Can you delve into the themes and messages you wanted to convey through these electro-infused pieces?
Passenger A&S: We never thought of it that way. We never make a song, deliberately thinking of a message or a link with another album track. We do read and discuss often about the concept and about what would/could be the right direction to take, both music and art wise. Things just happen, albeit everything is linked to the theme. The current concept we are creating songs for is basically an easy one, opens a lot of opportunities, but is the hardest one for us to give it the right approach in art, when looking at all our endeavours.
As a duo, how do Passenger A and Passenger S collaborate in the studio? Can you share some insights into your creative dynamic and how it influenced the making of “Forum”? And how different is it for both of you compared to your respective solo-projects?
Passenger A&S: Usually, we meet up weekly in the Underground Studio and work on no matter what upcoming release. There is never any pressure, but once someone holds the final result, he or she can be sure that everything is meticulously planned to the hilt, from every little stroke of art to the very last second of every song. But we never follow the same pattern or path; nor for music nor for art, and the further we can step outside of the box the more we like it! The solo-projects are clearly without the influences of the other Passenger and music wise, although both electronic, it is very different for 90% (some things are in our DNA and we cannot ignore it. But that feels natural after working together for more than 30 years). The biggest difference is that the synthpop from 808 DOT POP (Passenger S) is built around concepts and more sequence based, whereas LECTREAU (Passenger A) works in singles only and aims for the club floors. The mutual aspect is electronics; that will remain a fact, no matter what.
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