Recently, killer Toronto band Metric teased its loyal following with a new song from their forthcoming album, Pagans in Vegas. We swooned to the sound of a band in full command of its music.
That song, “The Shade,” was followed by the equally groovy “Cascades” and news that it was official: the band’s sixth album will be released on Sept. 18.
The band checks into the Air Canada Centre on July 4 along with American band Imagine Dragons.
The last we heard from the band was in 2012 with the release of their fifth studio album, Synthetica. After that, their plan was to take some much-needed time off to travel and relax.
Front woman Emily Haines stressed the importance of getting back to making music for the joy of making music.
She got inspired while spending time in Nicaragua with bandmate/writing partner James Shaw, and credits their latest bout of songwriting inspiration to the beauty of the land.
“We feel really good about all of it. This new album is part of a bigger picture of music that’s going to unfold over the next little while,” says Haines, adding that they’ve written enough songs for two new albums.
“It just totally snuck up on us, you know? It was supposed to be our year off, and then we just accidentally ended up writing all of this great music,” she adds.
The new album features 12 new tracks along with a bonus track and special pre-order specials such as a special EP cassette version of “The Shade,” and a double vinyl album.
“We’re really shouting out to Depeche Mode for this one,” says Haines when referring to the “sound” of the new album. “There’s some real Kraftwerk references there and lots of little treats for people who are listening.”
The name of the album, Pagans in Vegas, according to Haines, can be attributed to the group’s longevity as a band.
“ITunes didn’t even exist when we started out, so it’s pretty amazing to have witnessed, participated in and weathered the storm that has been part of just staying alive in the music industry over the past 15 years,” says Haines. “So yeah, we definitely feel like pagans in the massive, world-economy casino that we live in,” she adds.
The syntho-pop star tries to stay humble amid the rising fame of Metric’s music.
“I think the mistake people make is that you reach a certain level, a plateau, and then your own ego can’t handle it when someone doesn’t recognize you,” says Haines on fame. “We have the opposite attitude. We like to stay humble.”
One song Haines keeps close to her heart is “Parkdale,” off their 2007 album Grow Up and Blow Away.
It’s a song about home for her. She explains that it was sort of a “love letter” to the neighborhood where she grew up.
“You had to be living there long enough to appreciate the essence of Parkdale. Before there was the Drake Hotel, before there was the Ossington strip, before any of that stuff, it was a really cool place to explore and meet people,” says Haines.
Of all the places Haines likes to visit when she comes home, she prefers to hang out in the backyards of her old Parkdale peeps.
“Either that or riding my bike around town. Whenever I get really homesick, that’s what I wish I was doing,” adds Haines.
