Sci-fi surf combo Palooka 5 present, what is undoubtedly their most ambitious project to date, MetroKino. Eleven original tracks, inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927 expressionist classic Metropolis. 

The Album opens with ‘Metrokino’ which features cool twangy guitar drenched in reverb washing over a sophisticated soundscape.

‘Evil Machine’ has a terrific bassline throughout over which Tim Baigent’s guitar performs some sublime work along with excellent stabs of sound from the keyboards. The track concludes with the following sample: ‘It is evil, but I cannot change it. I can only point it out.’ It is a cracking track.

‘Give the Robot Your Face’ is another cool track with atmospheric keys and space age surf guitar played over a nice grooving rhythm section. Half-way through the band steps up a gear into almost double time, before reverting to the original tempo towards the end of the track. The dynamics work very well here.

‘Moonstruck’ starts with piano and bass and drums that feature a nice, gated reverb on the snare, and vocals that seem to be ging through a vocoder. The track appears to progressively elevate and is one of the most atmospheric pieces here.

‘Club of the Suns’ is another track to make use of space age synth sounds that weave in and out of a melodic bass line and guitar lines that shimmer with delay. It is very well constructed.

‘Born in Berlin’ starts with an hypnotic bass line and then just grooves with vocal overdubs, it is very atmospheric, it sounds a little bit like the Ozric Tentacles with superb guitar playing and keyboards that are slightly eastern in flavour.

‘Torschlusspanik’ is a terrific number it is an up-tempo surf masterpiece resplendent with James Bond style strings and cool samples. It is a corker.

‘Cellars of Hope’ begins with a simple 4/4 rhythm played on the floor tom to which bass is added and then guitar with a great deal of tremelo and/or delay added. Upon this wonderful soundscape is added choral vocals which is supremely evocative.

‘Der Kuss’, begins with semi classical piano over which bass and eerie guitar are added and the joined by drums to create a very sophisticated soundscape.

 ‘Ave Maria’ begins with very space-age synths to which the guitar, effects drenched, and bass are added to the mix, then a very real drum sound begins and the guitar work becomes surfy whilst still oozing-space age complemented by highly processed vocals which add colour to the track. This is impeccably orchestrated stuff.

‘Evil Machine Reprise’ does exactly what it says on the tin and very nicely too!

This is a rather breathtaking album. Gone are the easy references to the B52s. Instead, it is several miles ahead of the band’s recorded output so far in terms of its ambition and complexity. I bet that I won’t come across many stunning albums like this for many years to come. A major achievement.

Nick Kemp

To support the release of MetroKino Palooka 5 play 5 dates at: 

Saturday 20th September 2025 – London LP Launch Event Stow Film Lounge, St Mary’s, Walthamstow, E17 9RJ 

Saturday 27th September 2025 – Taunton Creative Innovation Centre, TA1 3PF 

Friday 10th October 2025 – Bridport Bridport Arts Centre, DT6 3NR 

Saturday 11th October 2025 – Bristol The Cube Cinema, BS2 8JD 

Saturday 22nd November 2025 – Birmingham The Mockingbird Cinema, B9 4AA 

Preorder a copy of ‘Metrokino’ here