Metric play songs from their new album, 'Art of Doubt'
by Mac Wilson
September 21, 2018
Following the synth-pop sounds of Metric's last album, Pagans in Vegas (2015), the Toronto band returned to rock tunes on their brand-new Art of Doubt, out Friday, Sept. 21. "It felt so good to come back to the four of us in a room playing, and to come back to rock," says Metric's Emily Haines. "The genre has taken a beating. … For us to be like, 'I think it's us that have to do this — we gotta make a rock record for people; we're a rock band.' And then we believe in those principles: songwriging, friendship, all that stuff. That was a lot of how the sound developed for Art of Doubt."
Haines, along with bandmate Jimmy Shaw, stopped at The Current to chat with host Mac Wilson and to play some stripped-down tunes from the new record.
The way Metric road-tested songs that became Art of Doubt was unconventional, to say the least. Whereas most artists will try out new things in smaller venues and less-publicized shows, Metric tested tunes while opening for Smashing Pumpkins on a North American tour. "We found the response was really supportive and great across that whole tour with Smashing Pumpkins," Haines recalls. "I felt really respected by the audience and that they recognized — whether they'd done their research or if it was how we presented ourselves or how we played — but I felt very, like, they may not know the songs, they might not even know the band, but it was a really warm response."
Although encouraged by the warm response from arena audiences, Shaw says Metric are never hesitant to push themselves creatively. "I think we've been entirely unafraid to do whatever we felt like doing," he says. "The idea that we have our own studio is an extension of the fact that we release our own music, we have our own record label, we have our own studio. We don't really answer to anyone. Which sometimes is a bit strange and isolating, but also, it's incredibly creatively freeing."
Use the audio player above to listen to the entire session with Metric, who also share how they've come to feel right at home at The Current, and how they once enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner with the staff of First Avenue in Minneapolis.
Songs Performed
"Seven Rules"
"Anticipate"
"Now or Never Now"
All songs are from Metric's 2018 album, Art of Doubt, released by Metric Music International and distributed in the U.S. by BMG Rights Management LLC.
Hosted by Mac Wilson
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Engineered by Michael DeMark
Visuals by Jules Ameel
Web feature by Luke Taylor
External Link
Metric - official site
