After spending over a decade and a half kicking up a noisy racket, METZ are ushering in a new chapter. It's not that Up on Gravity Hill isn't loud — but it's also melodic and inviting, combining singer-guitarist Alex Edkins's pop-inclined 2022 solo album as Weird Nightmare with the ferocity the trio have long been known for.
"I have to admit, It feels slightly disingenuous to choose our 'Best 5 Songs,' as there is no possible way I can offer a clear-headed and objective opinion on this subject," admits Edkins. "That being said, who am I to say no to Exclaim!?"
Rather than a definitive ranking of METZ's five best songs, Edkins offers up a chronological list of what he calls "a few sentimental standouts from our catalogue." This includes one of the first songs they ever recorded, a couple from when they were becoming a popular punk band amidst the baroque folk explosion, and a standout from Up on Gravity Hill that fans ought to pay special attention to when the LP lands on Friday (April 12).
"Dry Up"
Single (2009) / Automat (2019)
"Dry Up" is one of the first songs we ever recorded and was later compiled for the Automat LP for Sub Pop. It reminds me of playing shows with the Constantines, some of our first big local shows. At this point, we had released a 7-inch (on We Are Busy Bodies), done some minimal Canadian touring and were getting invited to play with bands we loved (Mudhoney, Obits). That was good enough for us! Out from the basement and onto the stage at Lee's Palace. It really does feel like a lifetime ago. The three of us have all changed so much individually since then, and I think it only makes sense that our music has changed too.
"Wet Blanket"
METZ (2012)
This is when our lives really changed. The reception to our debut album was so overwhelmingly positive that we were ripped from the comfortable confines of GTA obscurity and thrown quite abruptly onto the international festival circuit and into six-month-long world tours and press junkets. You can't make this stuff up! Don't get me wrong, we jumped at the opportunity to travel, but it did come as a surprise to even us. Our scrappy trio flew in the face of just about everything that was popular in 2012 — most bands had upward of 12 members, remember that? — and I genuinely feel that our warm reception had a lot to do with offering a simplistic and exciting rock 'n' roll alternative to the maximal folk/prog that was hip at the time. Good timing!
"Get Off"
METZ (2012)
This song was covered by the great Boston band Mission of Burma (and released as a split 7-inch by Sub Pop) and that is still one of the greatest honours I've experienced as a musician. To have people who impacted the way you hear and make music give their nod of approval to what you are doing will always be more important than any five-star review. Similarly, meeting Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü, Sugar) around this time and him telling us that he was a fan of our music was a life-affirming moment. Meet your heroes! This video was made by the great Chad VanGaalen and is still one of my favourites.
"A Boat to Drown In"
Atlas Vending (2020)
This is a definite crowd favourite, and we have gotten into the habit of closing our shows with it. The psychedelic sprawling outro is something we really love improvising on — rare in a METZ set — and we try to see how wild we can make it. It's totally different every night and ends the show on an intense, euphoric, blissed-out note to send everyone on their way.
"Light Your Way Home"
Up on Gravity Hill (2024)
This is one of our collective favourites from the new album. It is a distinctly different sound for us, a dream-like dirge that is simultaneously super heavy and probably our most gentle and heartfelt song to date. It features the beautiful vocal contributions of Amber Webber (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust), and shows a different side to my songwriting that was really sparked during the pandemic when I made the Weird Nightmare album. The continuous evolution of the band is something that surprises even us and we are excited to find out where it goes next.
