Metro Station

Metro Station

Metro Station is a Los Angeles group formed in 2006. Their music combines electronic elements with pop rock and power pop, and later genre descriptions also place them within dance-pop, dance-rock, electropop, pop punk and pop rock. The line-up includes Trace Cyrus, Blake Healy, Anthony Improgo and Mason Musso.

Formation and early profile

The band forms in Los Angeles in 2006, with Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso first meeting on the set of Hannah Montana, where Musso’s brother Mitchel Musso and Cyrus’s half-sister Miley Cyrus appear together. They connect over a shared interest in upbeat pop rock and decide to start a band. Cyrus brings in Blake Healy, previously of Synthetic Joy, as keyboardist and bassist, while Cyrus himself takes lead guitar and co-vocal duties. Musso becomes the main singer and guitarist. Anthony Improgo later joins on drums after the band’s track “Seventeen Forever” attracts attention online.

The group builds an early following through MySpace, where its popularity grows enough to reach the top of the “MySpace Music Unsigned Bands” chart. A Columbia Records intern discovers the band through the MySpace charts and they sign to Columbia/Red Ink Records. In July 2007, Alternative Press includes Metro Station among its “22 Best Underground Bands (That Likely Won’t Stay Underground for Long)”.

Breakthrough releases

Metro Station’s self-titled debut album appears in 2007. The album includes the singles “Kelsey” and “Control”, neither of which charts at first, though both later gain more attention as the album sells more copies. The band’s best-known song is “Shake It”, released as the third single from the album in 2008. It becomes a major commercial success, reaching the top ten on several United States charts and later earning double-platinum certification from the RIAA. The album itself later reaches No. 43 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on Top Electronic Albums and No. 2 on Top Heatseekers.

Tours, lineup changes and later work

After their breakthrough, Metro Station tours with acts including We The Kings, Boys Like Girls, Valencia, Cobra Starship and Good Charlotte. They also take part in the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour 2008 alongside Boys Like Girls, Good Charlotte and The Maine, with some dates involving support for Simple Plan. At different points, Blake Healy and Anthony Improgo leave the band, though both later contribute again in other forms.

The group contributes “Where’s My Angel” to the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s 2010 reworking of Alice in Wonderland. In March 2010 the band splits up, then reforms in May 2011 and issues “Ain’t So High”. At that stage the project centres on Mason Musso, with Blake Healy and Anthony Improgo contributing instruments and production. Trace Cyrus returns in 2014 after a four-year absence, and the band releases “Love & War”, the Gold EP, the single “She Likes Girls”, and the album Savior. “Savior” includes 18 tracks and features “Getting Over You” with Ronnie Radke. The band also says it is recording an acoustic album. Metro Station later announces a break-up in 2017.