Metric’s Synthetica gets your head nodding
Metric is one of those rare bands that has been putting out amazing records for years and successfully keeping to their original sound, yet not boring us with their consistency.
This Metric is the same Metric as in their first major album in 2003, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, and that’s why Metric’s latest and greatest, Synthetica, rates extremely high in my books. Everyone knows just what they are getting with Metric. The artists keep to the bands original theme, which we all fell in love with, with their lurid, and at times, comical lyrics, with upbeats that make you want to thrash wildly about in your room.
The new album begins with “Artificial Nocturne” creating a build up, slowly allowing the blood in our veins to move a little faster, perks our ears up and provides an opportunity for some serious head nodding. This momentum continues throughout the entire album, but only gets better with more adrenaline inducing tracks such as “Lost Kitten” with a strong drum beat while Emily Hanes sings, “I was looking for a hooker when I found you”, showing the true darkness of the album.
The album continues pumping us up with the track “Synthetica,” and then drops off allowing for our hearts to slow down and enjoy the ride that we have been taken on with tracks like “Clone” and “The Wanderlust,” which consumes the listener into a dream-like state with lyrics like, “I’ve been sleep walking/ Through the railway station/ Wake me up…Speed out of reach/ You’re the one I had to meet/ I never wanted to go home/ There was nothing there for me”.
With the latest release of their first video, “Youth Without Youth,” the buzz around this album is growing immensely, but well-deserved. We might be going out on a limb when we say that this is Metric’s greatest album thus far, however, we’ll just have to wait until their next one comes out. But until then, buy this album, support the artists, and buy tickets to their shows, because this one is going to be one hell of a rager.
Bryan Flynn is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland where he studied English and American Studies. Living in Washington DC, he spends his nights behind a local bar, as well as works with a local arts space to book shows and bring people together through music and art.