Metric

About Metric

Metric started in 1998 when Emily Haines and James Shaw decided to make music together in Toronto, though they didn't actually stay there. They bounced between New York and London for a few years, which probably explains why their early sound felt more aligned with the art-rock happening in those cities than whatever was going on in Canadian indie at the time.

The band's first proper album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, came out in 2003 and it hit differently than most indie rock of that era. "Combat Baby" and "Dead Disco" had this tightly wound energy, all angular guitars and Haines' detached vocal delivery cutting through layers of synth. It wasn't quite dance-punk, wasn't quite new wave revival, just somewhere in its own lane.

Live It Out followed in 2005 and expanded their reach considerably. "Monster Hospital" became the song people actually knew, with its distorted bass line and Haines repeating "I fought the war" like she was trying to convince herself. The album felt bigger, more willing to let songs breathe and build, though it kept that same nervous energy that made their debut work.

Then came Fantasies in 2009, which is probably still their commercial peak. "Help I'm Alive" got synced in approximately every TV show for a while, and "Gimme Sympathy" posed that question about being in the Beatles or the Stones that felt smarter than most rock nostalgia. The production was cleaner, the hooks more obvious. Some older fans probably rolled their eyes, but the songs held up.

They've kept at it pretty consistently since then. Synthetica in 2012 leaned further into electronic textures. Pagans in Vegas in 2015 let Shaw's production instincts run wild, sometimes to the songs' benefit, sometimes not. Art of Doubt in 2018 felt like a reset, stripping things back to something closer to their core sound, which by that point they'd clearly defined: propulsive rhythm section, Shaw's guitar work oscillating between minimal and textured, Haines delivering lyrics about anxiety and control with that particular mix of fragility and force she does.

They put out Formentera in 2022, a more stripped-down effort recorded quickly, which either sounds refreshing or slight depending on your mood. It's quieter, more acoustic in places, the kind of record a band makes when they've been together long enough to stop proving anything.

Metric has stayed remarkably consistent in their lineup and their output. Haines and Shaw remain the core, still writing together, still figuring out new ways to make guitar and synthesizer coexist. They're not chasing trends, not reinventing themselves every album, just making the kind of precise, slightly anxious rock music they've always made. Two decades in, that counts for something.

Metric shows move with mechanical precision and sudden explosive energy. Haines commands the stage with minimal movement but maximum presence. Crowds are engaged, attentive—these aren't people checking their phones. The band locks in tight, and there's a visible satisfaction when everything clicks.

Known for Dead Disco, Black Sheep, Monster Hospital, Gimme Sympathy, Youth Without Youth

See Metric Live