On October 9th, METZ will release Atlas Vending, the most dynamic, dimensional, and compelling work of their career. Covering seemingly disparate themes such as paternity, crushing social anxiety, addiction, isolation, media-induced paranoia, and the restless urge to leave everything behind, each of Atlas Vending’s ten songs offers a snapshot of today’s modern condition and together form a musical and narrative whole.
The first single from Atlas Vending, “A Boat to Drown In,” is, according to METZ’s Alex Edkins, “…about leaving a bad situation behind. About overcoming obstacles that once held you back, rising above, and looking to a better future. The title refers to immersing yourself fully into what you love and using it as a sanctuary from negativity and a catalyst for change.” The band has shared a new video for the track which Video Director Tony Wolski sought to visually enhance and expand on these ideas. Wolski: “The song has a beautiful, crushing numbness to it that we wanted to mirror in the visual. So we chose to romanticize our main character’s descent into her delusions of love and togetherness. At a time when everyone’s simultaneously coping with some sort of isolation, a story about loneliness—and the mania that comes with it—seems appropriate to tell.”
Bolstered by the co-production of Ben Greenberg (Uniform) and the engineering and mixing skills of Seth Manchester (Daughters, Lingua Ignota, The Body) at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Atlas Vending, the band’s fourth full-length album, sounds massive, articulate, and earnest.
Preorders of Atlas Vending are now available from Sub Pop. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com, METZ’s merch store and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser Edition on pearlescent grey and silver vinyl. Vinyl preorders in the UK and Europe from select independent retailers will receive the Loser Edition on light rose colored vinyl. A new t-shirt design will be available as well. And in Canada, Atlas Vending will be available from Royal Mountain Records.
METZ Atlas Vending Tracklisting: 1. Pulse 2. Blind Youth Industrial Park 3. The Mirror 4. No Ceiling 5. Hail Taxi 6. Draw Us In 7. Sugar Pill 8. Framed by the Comet’s Tail 9. Parasite 10. A Boat to Drown In
About Atlas Vending:
“Change is inevitable if you’re lucky,” says guitarist/vocalist Alex Edkins while talking about Atlas Vending, the fourth full-length album by Toronto’s METZ. “Our goal is to remain in flux, to grow in a natural and gradual way. We’ve always been wary to not overthink or intellectualize the music we love but also not satisfied until we’ve accomplished something that pushes us forward.” The music made by Edkins and his compatriots Hayden Menzies (drums) and Chris Slorach (bass) has always been a little difficult to pin down. Their earliest recordings contained nods to the teeming energy of early ‘90s DIY hardcore, the aggravated angularities of This Heat, and the noisy riffing of AmRep’s quintessential guitar manglers, but there was never a moment where METZ sounded like they were paying tribute to the heroes of their youth. If anything, the sonic trajectory of their albums captured the journey of a band shedding influences and digging deeper into their fundamental core—steady propulsive drums, chest-thumping bass lines, bloody-fingered guitar riffs, the howling angst of our fading innocence. With Atlas Vending, METZ not only continues to push their music into new territories of dynamics, crooked melodies, and sweat-drenched rhythms, they explore the theme of growing up and maturing within a format typically suspended in youth.
Covering seemingly disparate themes such as paternity, crushing social anxiety, addiction, isolation, media-induced paranoia, and the restless urge to leave everything behind, each of Atlas Vending’s ten songs offers a snapshot of today’s modern condition and together form a musical and narrative whole. Album opener “Pulse” is a completely unnerving exercise in reductionist tension, with verses providing little more than a lone discordant chord, a hammering kick drum, and the occasional punctuation of a diving bass note. From there METZ launches into “Blind Youth Industrial Park,” an absolute scorcher of paranoid dissonance and malicious force centered on a chromatic descending riff and a merciless four-to-the-floor drum battery.
The album hits its stride with “No Ceiling”—a minute-and-a-half rager that comes about as close to containing a pop hook as anything METZ has ever written. Though it’s still saturated with in-the-red distortion, this truncated anthem about discovering love and purpose provides the rare counterpoint to the band’s grievous compositions. But there’s no yielding to complacency on Atlas Vending, and the mercurial nature of love and romance is expertly captured in the alternately brutal verses and beguiling choruses of “Hail Taxi.” If METZ’s current mission is to mirror the inevitable struggles of adulthood, they’ve successfully managed to tap into the conflicted relationship between rebellion and revelry with the song’s tactics of offsetting their signature bombast with anthemic melodic resolutions.
The song sequencing follows a cradle-to-grave trajectory, spanning from primitive origins through increasingly nuanced and turbulent peaks and valleys all the way to the climactic closer, “A Boat to Drown In.” The lyrics speak to this arc as well, with the songs addressing life’s struggles all the way through to death, as Edkins snarls “crashed through the pearly gates and opened up my eyes, I can see it now” before the band launches into the album’s cascading outro.
While past METZ albums thrived on an abrasive relentlessness, the trio embarked on Atlas Vending with the goal to make a more patient and honest record—something that invited repeated listens rather than a few exhilarating bludgeonings. It’s as if the band realized they were in it for the long haul, and their music could serve as a constant as they navigated life’s trials and tribulations. The result is a record that sounds massive, articulate, and earnest. Bolstered by the co-production of Ben Greenberg (Uniform) and the engineering and mixing skills of Seth Manchester (Daughters, Lingua Ignota, The Body) at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, METZ deliver the most dynamic, dimensional, and compelling work of their career.
Including Father John Misty, Man Man, Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil, METZ, Gazebos, The Gotobeds, Omni, Versing, and Frankie Cosmos.
On Friday, June 3rd, (aka Bandcamp Friday) Sub Pop & Hardly Art artists past and present – Jon Benjamin, Father John Misty, Frankie Cosmos (as Franz Charcoal), Gazebos, The Gotobeds, Man Man, Omni, METZ, and Versing – will be offering a variety of special releases, sales, and deals through Bandcamp’s “No Revenue Share Day.” Sub Pop and Hardly Art will be passing through 100% of digital sales revenue on Bandcamp to all of our active artists.
Jon Benjamin: Jazz DaredevilWell I Should Have… – long out-of-print LP now available on a special limited edition Red/White/Blue colored vinyl.
Father John MistyAnthem +3 – a 4-song EP featuring covers of Leonard Cohen, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and Link Wray. Proceeds to benefit both CARE Action Network and Ground Game LA. Pay-what-you-want $5 minimum for the whole EP, no individual track sales.
Gazebos “Therapy” – Previously unreleased track with all proceeds raised Friday, July 3rd to benefit King County Equity Now. Pay-what-you-want on July 3rd, $1/per track after
The Gotobeds “Have You Checked the Tapes?” b/w “Blazing Sun of Youth” – Two previously unreleased tracks from their Debt Begins at 30 album sessions. Proceeds from July 3rd will benefit Sisters PGH COVID-19 support. Pay-what-you-want on July 3rd, $1/per track after Man Man “Dig Deep” – Releases a brand new single with proceeds to benefit both the NAACP and Know Your Rights Campaign. Pay-what-you-want w/ $1 minimum.
METZLive at Ramsgate Music Hall – a 4-song digital EP featuring live versions of METZ’s “Cellophane,” “Acetate,” “Nervous System,” and “Raw Materials” recorded during the band’s date at the UK venue on May 3rd, 2018. Proceeds to help raise funds through Ramsgate Music Hall’s Bandcamp page, while they’re closed due to COVID-19. Pay-what-you-want through July 5, £1.50 per track / £5 for the full EP thereafter.
Omni “The Stranger” b/w “Art for Art’s Sake” – Covers of Billy Joel’s The Stranger,” and 10cc’s “Art for Arts Sake,” originally recorded for Aquarium Drunkard Lagniappe sessions. Proceeds raised July 3rd to benefit Georgia NAACP. Pay-what-you-want on July 3rd, $1/per track after
Versing “Red Wave” b/w “Once Bitten” – Previously unreleased single with all proceeds raised Friday, July 3rd to benefit Northwest Community Bail Fund. Pay-what-you-want on July 3rd, $1/per track after
Watch the Animated Video for METZ’s take on Gary Numan’s “M.E.” + Find Details of Newly Announced Fall Shows
On July 12th, Sub Pop released Automat, a collection of METZ non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, available on LP for the first time, and including the band’s long out-of-print early (pre-Sub Pop) recordings. It’s a chronological trip through the lesser-known material of METZ, the widely-adored and delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band from Toronto, ON.
The vinyl LP format of Automat included an exclusive bonus 7” single of METZ interpretations of three diverse cover songs, a glimpse of their wide-ranging and excellent taste. And, on Aug. 20 (aka today) these three bonus tracks will be available in digital services everywhere (such as YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music). Rejoice! And then also go listen to: a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Pig,” from a very limited 2012 Record Store Day split single originally released by Toronto’s Sonic Boom record shop; “I’m a Bug,” a cover of the Urinals’ art-punk classic, originally released on YouTube (not an actual record label) in 2014; and METZ’s previously unreleased rendition of Gary Numan’s “M.E.”
You can also watch the mesmerizing video for “M.E.,” featuring a three-headed Pleasure Principle hydra illustrated by Kirin Booth and animated by Martin MacPherson here now, and/or also by clickinghere.
M.E Tracklisting: 1. “I’m a Bug” by the Urinals 2. “Pig” by Sparklehorse 3. “M.E” by Gary Numan
METZ have a handful of upcoming shows before getting to work on their 4th full-length LP which will be released on Sub Pop when we are all damn good and ready.
Sep. 07 - Toronto, ON - Echo Beach (MATTYFEST w Wu Tang Clan) Oct. 10 - Perris, CA - Desert Daze (w The Flaming Lips, Stereolab, Lightning Bolt) Oct. 19 - Queens, NY - Octfest 2019, presented by Pitchfork and October, at Knockdown Center Nov. 01 - London, ON - The Rec Room @ Dec. 02 - Glasgow, UK - The Barrowland Ballroom # Dec. 03 - Glasgow, UK - The Barrowland Ballroom # Dec. 04 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy 1 # Dec. 05 - Leeds, UK - O2 Academy Leeds # Dec. 07 - London, UK - Alexandra Palace Theatre #
METZ, our own widely-adored and delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band from Toronto, released their Sub Pop self-titled debut in 2012 and, in the time since, have cemented their reputation as one of the planet’s most exhilarating live acts and trusted providers of bombastic outsider rock. The band is made up of Alex Edkins, Hayden Menzies, and Chris Slorach.
Automat is a collection of METZ non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, available here on LP for the first time, and including the band’s long out-of-print early (pre-Sub Pop) recordings. A chronological trip through the lesser known material of METZ, Automat is out now, worldwide on Sub Pop.
The band’s Alex Edkins shares, “The idea to release Automat came after realizing our early 7” singles were being sold online for upwards of $60 bucks a pop. We wanted to make those songs available and affordable to anyone who might want them in the physical format. What started as reissuing a couple of 45s, quickly morphed into an entire LP, compiling rarities, demos and alternate takes from over the years.”
Consumers of the vinyl format of Automat will be rewarded with a bonus single that includes three additional tracks: a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Pig,” from a very limited 2012 Record Store Day split single originally released by Toronto’s Sonic Boom record shop; “I’m a Bug,” a cover of The Urinals’ art-punk classic, originally released on YouTube (not an actual record label) in 2014; and METZ’s previously unreleased rendition of Gary Numan’s “M.E.”
METZ are currently hard at work on their 4th full-length LP which will be released on Sub Pop when we are all damn good and ready.
All tracks on Automat have been lovingly remastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service.
On July 12th, Sub Pop will release a chronological trip through the lesser known material of METZ. Automat is a collection of non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, from the widely-adored and delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band. This will be the first time that this 12-song collection will be available on LP.
The band has shared a new video for their song “ Dry Up.” “METZ have been making music together for over 10 years,” says the band’s frontman Alex Edkins. “It’s been a blur. We’ve very rarely allowed ourselves to look backward. We’ve been hyper-focused on always moving forward at breakneck speed, perpetually fixated on what’s next. The video for ‘Dry Up,’ as well as the Automatalbum, is an attempt to pause, take a breath, look backward and take stock of our past. It’s intended to express how grateful we are to be able to do what we do. It’s a love letter to the incredible places we’ve traveled, the beautiful people we’ve met, to community, music, and friendship.”
Consumers of the vinyl format of Automat will be rewarded with a bonus single that includes three additional tracks: a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Pig,” from a very limited 2012 Record Store Day split single originally released by Toronto’s Sonic Boom record shop; “I’m a Bug,” a cover of The Urinals’ art-punk classic, originally released on YouTube (not an actual record label) in 2014; and METZ’s previously unreleased rendition of Gary Numan’s “M.E.”
All tracks on Automat have been lovingly remastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service.
METZ are currently hard at work on their 4th full-length LP which will be released on Sub Pop when we are all damn good and ready.
METZ are heading overseas on June 23rd, to begin a 14-date EU run with performances at Loose Ends Festival in Amsterdam, Lars Rock Festival in Chiusi Scalo, IT, Pointu Festival in Island Gaou, FR, and wrapping up July 14th in Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR. See below for a full list of shows.
Jun. 23 - Amsterdam, NL- Loose Ends Festival Jun. 25 - Bristol, UK - Fleece Jun. 26 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Jun. 27 - Manchester, UK - YES Jun. 28 - London, UK - Studio 9294 Jun. 29 - Eindhoven, NL - Effenaar Jul. 02 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Jul. 03 - Lyon, FR - Ninkasi Gerland / Kao Jul. 05 - Chiusi Scalo, IT - Lars Rock Festival Jul. 06 - Milan, IT - Santeria Social Club Jul. 07 - Ile du Gaou, FR - Pointu Festival Jul. 09 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Jul. 10 - Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, LU - Rotondes Jul. 11 - Bremen, DE - TOWER Musikclub Jul. 12 - Herk-De-Stad, Belgium - Rock Herk Festival Jul. 13 - Paris, France - La Station, Gare Des Mines for Garage MU Festival Jul. 14 - Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR - Chauffer Dans La Noirceur
METZ will be on tour in May, June and July of this year.
METZ, our own widely-adored and delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band from Toronto, released their Sub Pop self-titled debut in 2012 and, in the time since, have cemented their reputation as one of the planet’s most exhilarating live acts and trusted providers of bombastic outsider rock. The band is made up of Alex Edkins, Hayden Menzies, and Chris Slorach. Automat is a collection of METZ non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, available here on LP for the first time, and including the band’s long out-of-print early (pre-Sub Pop) recordings. A chronological trip through the lesser known material of METZ, Automat will be released worldwide on Sub Pop July 12, 2019.
The band’s Alex Edkins shares, “The idea to release Automat came after realizing our early 7” singles were being sold online for upwards of $60 bucks a pop. We wanted to make those songs available and affordable to anyone who might want them in the physical format. What started as reissuing a couple of 45s, quickly morphed into an entire LP, compiling rarities, demos and alternate takes from over the years.”
“‘Pure Auto’ is METZ at our most tongue in cheek,” says Edkins. “There are many winks and many nods (autonomy, me, me, me, me, me, for example) but ultimately it’s about being a control freak; fighting the urge to constantly steer the ship. Originally released as the B-side to the ‘Eraser’ 7” it has never been played live, but for some reason still manages to be one of our collective favorites. It was written and recorded very quickly after completing the II album sessions and came out of a surge of creativity/excitement/relief following a particularly intense and time-consuming album. You can watch the new video for “Pure Auto” by Montreal’s Scorpion Dagger by clicking here and also here.”
Consumers of the vinyl format of Automat will be rewarded with a bonus single that includes three additional tracks: a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Pig,” from a very limited 2012 Record Store Day split single originally released by Toronto’s Sonic Boom record shop; “I’m a Bug,” a cover of The Urinals’ art-punk classic, originally released on YouTube (not an actual record label) in 2014; and METZ’s previously unreleased rendition of Gary Numan’s “M.E.”
METZ are currently hard at work on their 4th full-length LP which will be released on Sub Pop when we are all damn good and ready.
All tracks on Automat have been lovingly remastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service.
Automat Tracklisting
1. Soft Whiteout 2. Lump Sums 3. Dry Up 4. Ripped on the Fence 5. Negative Space (7 inch version) 6. Automat 7. Wet Blanket (demo) 8. Dirty Shirt 9. Leave Me Out 10. Can’t Understand 11. Pure Auto 12. Eraser
METZ are playing May 25th in Minneapolis and May 26th in Chicago with labelmates Mudhoney and heading overseas on June 23rd, to begin a 14-date EU run with performances at Loose Ends Festival in Amsterdam, Lars Rock Festival in Chiusi Scalo in Italy, Pointu Festival in Island Gaou, France, and ending July 14th in Montmartin-sur-Mer, France.
Tour Dates May 25 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe* May 26 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall # May 27 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club Jun. 23 - Amsterdam, NL- Loose Ends Festival Jun. 25 - Bristol, UK - Fleece Jun. 26 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club Jun. 27 - Manchester, UK - YES Jun. 28 - London, UK - Studio 9294 Jun. 29 - Eindhoven, NL - Effenaar Jul. 02 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Jul. 03 - Lyon, FR - Ninkasi Gerland / Kao Jul. 05 - Chiusi Scalo, IT - Lars Rock Festival Jul. 07 - Ile du Gaou, FR - Pointu Festival Jul. 09 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Jul. 10 - Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, LU - Rotondes Jul. 11 - Bremen, DE - TOWER Musikclub Jul. 13 - Paris, FR- La Station, Gare Des Mines for Garage MU Festival Jul. 14 - Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR - Chauffer Dans La Noirceur
