Plausible Gone Parody

On paper this is exciting. New York’s Metermaids promise to blend funk, electronica, and hip-hop into a combination that seems a reflection of Ghostland Observatory and !!!: where those acts are primarily rock acts with hip-hop influences, Metermaids instead are a rap group with rock persuades. They have been declared a combination of Beastie Boys and U2 whilst garnering praise by CMJ. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In execution however, Nightlife is a formulaic, arrogant, and frankly uninteresting debut.

From the very outset of ‘The Inside’ we’re presented with savvy electronica-dance mixed with booming hip-hop bass punches. Then emcees Sean McGaughan (aka Swell) and his partner “Sentence” start rapping, and it’s hard to stifle a laugh. The two nicknamed vocalists deliver their lines so forcefully and arrogantly that they could fit in with any ‘90s era parody of hip-hop. Shouting alternating lines of “That’s what the inside of your heart looks like,” Metermaids have already dangerously branded themselves as a band that takes itself too seriously to be taken seriously.

In track after track, the fast-paced delivery of Metermaids’ rap lyrics is botched with too-cool-for-you attitude. Where !!! can poke fun at themselves with a modest self-awareness, Swell and Sentence seem to be high on themselves. ‘The Love is Back’ and ‘Feel Alive’ fall into constantly repeating lines that weren’t that great to begin with.  Additionally, the blends of funk and rap die out slowly as one progress through Nightlife. In ‘Fingertips’ and ‘No Matter What’, an interesting vintage synthesizer opens but is all but dropped before the minute mark, only coming in weakly during choruses. What we’re left with is Metermaids’ rap time and again. The formula gets deadly quickly.

However, tracks like ‘Think About It’ and ‘The Risk You Run’ are very enjoyable. Pulled back and calm, Metermaids are melodic and catchy. It’s a shame the rest of the album is tainted with aggressive unfounded vocals, because the hip-hop blends would find a perfect home with fans who want more rap and less rock in other genre-blurring acts. However, this blend is abandoned in too many songs leaving only boring, no surprises rap. It’s all been done prior to, and better.

Sadly and whether intentional or not, Metermaids are way too self-indulged to pull off their funk-blended hip-hop tracks. From the haughty album-cover poses to their juvenile nicknames to the no-nonsense vocals, Nightlife feels like a parody rather than a respectable effort. If you can get past the laughable arrogance of Metermaids you might find some catchy and well-written tracks. Maybe I’m just missing something in the end. Frankly though, I don’t think it’s worth the time to figure out.

Michael Schmitt