IN REVIEW: METRO VILLA - ‘LIVE AT THE TWO OCEANS AQUARIUM’

Metro Villa share their soft side with debut album, ‘Live at the Two Oceans Aquarium’. Recorded in October 2024, as part of Texx and the City's annual 'After Dark' series, the set is soothing. A total tone shift, the seven songs explore the sadder lore of the four musicians, with a living backdrop that will make you envy the audience.

MICHELLE

A do-or-die opening move, ‘Michelle’ dispels all previous records of misbehaving riffs and punchy kicks; Metro Villa are here to hit different. Headbanger turned heartbreaker, the band meets their bar, serving this tasteful version with tea and biscuits.

COME AROUND

Bright and burrowing, ‘Come Around’ creeps into the subconscious with its rumbling bass, catchy indie licks, syncopated beat and Bono-fied vox. Other hooks come close, but this is the chorus that will float around in your head, long after the encore, like the casual stingrays in their existential aquacade.

WITCHING HOUR

‘Witching Hour’ is a turbulent incantation with stumbling sections and real feels. The energy builds and breaks, with motivic grooves, worried wails, and a stormy lilt that crashes into Alternative territory. A late night delight, the 3AM club can quietly add this emotional anthem to their “Sleepless in Stellenbosch’ playlist.

PASSING THROUGH

For the midpoint, the bands pulls a “happy-sad switcheroo”. As a birthday wish, the frontman calls on the memories of any missing crowd members. This one is a whole-souled dedication. Long, lamenting lines like, “passing through, and hating every day without you” will tug at your tear ducts.

PENGUIN SMALL

Further down, ‘Penguin Small’ goes through the motions of losing a best friend, landing the listener lobes-deep in open waters. Vocals drenched, guitar moodily noodling, the piece relays the remorse of ever-loose ends with waning resolve and waxing sincerity.

The singer says, “Tell your friends, you love them.”

HOLY PLACE

The last two tunes feature the talented Alanna Joy, one half of Lost//Youth. Her voice mingles with the quartet’s sonic reef to produce Hollywood harmonies and a bluesy undercurrent. Overall, ’Holy Place’ is a “cheesy love song” with classic country chords, ebbing in 6/8; a tonic for the yearners.

DARK HORSE

Finishing strong, ‘Dark Horse’ takes you home. A hearty final track with tense and tinkering rhythms that will satisfy your surf and turf cravings. Primed for future cult status, LatTOA is the album that Metro Villa fans will use to discern between true day-ones and those just passing through.

BOKKIE

The artwork proudly includes Bokkie, the turtle. Seen swimming with a missing fin, in the background of Metro Villa’s performance, her story brings us full circle. After a successful rehabilitation in the aquarium, she was released into the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, where she is free to go with the flow.

If you’re a lucky Capetonian fish, get your ticket to the very next Metro Villa show. Sets like this impress the sensory impact of sharing unique spaces and deeply experiencing the music. If you can’t wait, Metro Villa - ‘Live at the Two Oceans Aquarium’ is available now, stream it here.