Toronto's METZ aren't releasing their second album, II, until May 5 but may have already begun working on a third. The punk trio were in a Toronto studio recently with producer/mixer Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) recording new material.
"When we started rehearsing for shows coming up, we realized that since we hadn't had guitars in our hands for a while — what with finishing the record and getting it out — we had a backlog of ideas," bassist Chris Slorach tells Exclaim! "So we just sort of spit out a few songs that flowed out of us pretty naturally. We decided to take advantage of that creativity and start recording."
The songs are untitled and in various stages of completion, with no specific plans for release. The session was just part of the band's plan to make more music more often. METZ are well known for their jam-packed, extended touring schedules, and so taking advantage of those rare stretches when they are not on the road to get new music done has become a priority.
"We feel like we're in a good spot creatively so let's keep going," says singer/guitarist Alex Edkins. "Let's not tour ourselves into the ground, which we may have done on the last one."
Don't worry, METZ fans — the band are still coming to your town. They recently announced an expanded summer tour that includes more than 30 shows across North America and beyond. You can see the full schedule below.
Expect II to arrive via Sub Pop.
Tour dates:
05/01-02 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace ^
05/08 Austin, TX - Levitation 2015
05/09 Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival
05/11 St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre %
05/12 Orlando, FL - The Social %
05/13 Birmingham, AL - Work Play %
05/14 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge %
05/19 St. Louis, MO - The Firebird %
05/20 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
05/21-22 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry %
05/23 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon %
05/26 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom %
05/27 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg %
05/28 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club %
05/29 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer %
05/30 Boston, MA - Paradise %
06/16 London, UK - Underworld &
06/17 Brussels, BE - Botanique - Rotonde
06/19 Hilvarenbeek, NL - Best Kept Secret Festival
06/20 Scheesel, DE - Hurricane Festival
06/21 Neuhausen ob Eck, DE - Southside Festival
06/22 Leipzig, DE - Taubchenthal
06/24 Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia
06/25 Cologne, DE - MTC
07/14 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Bluesfest
07/24-26 Oro-Medonte, ON - WayHome Music & Arts Festival
07/27 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
07/29 Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid Cabaret
07/30 Saskatoon, SK - Amigos Cantina
07/31 Calgary, AB - The Republik
08/01 Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
08/03 Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theatre
08/04 Seattle, WA - Neumos
08/05 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
08/08-09 San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands
08/11 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
% with FIDLAR
^ with Protomartyr
& with Bad Breeding
"When we started rehearsing for shows coming up, we realized that since we hadn't had guitars in our hands for a while — what with finishing the record and getting it out — we had a backlog of ideas," bassist Chris Slorach tells Exclaim! "So we just sort of spit out a few songs that flowed out of us pretty naturally. We decided to take advantage of that creativity and start recording."
The songs are untitled and in various stages of completion, with no specific plans for release. The session was just part of the band's plan to make more music more often. METZ are well known for their jam-packed, extended touring schedules, and so taking advantage of those rare stretches when they are not on the road to get new music done has become a priority.
"We feel like we're in a good spot creatively so let's keep going," says singer/guitarist Alex Edkins. "Let's not tour ourselves into the ground, which we may have done on the last one."
Don't worry, METZ fans — the band are still coming to your town. They recently announced an expanded summer tour that includes more than 30 shows across North America and beyond. You can see the full schedule below.
Expect II to arrive via Sub Pop.
Tour dates:
05/01-02 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace ^
05/08 Austin, TX - Levitation 2015
05/09 Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival
05/11 St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre %
05/12 Orlando, FL - The Social %
05/13 Birmingham, AL - Work Play %
05/14 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge %
05/19 St. Louis, MO - The Firebird %
05/20 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
05/21-22 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry %
05/23 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon %
05/26 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom %
05/27 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg %
05/28 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club %
05/29 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer %
05/30 Boston, MA - Paradise %
06/16 London, UK - Underworld &
06/17 Brussels, BE - Botanique - Rotonde
06/19 Hilvarenbeek, NL - Best Kept Secret Festival
06/20 Scheesel, DE - Hurricane Festival
06/21 Neuhausen ob Eck, DE - Southside Festival
06/22 Leipzig, DE - Taubchenthal
06/24 Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia
06/25 Cologne, DE - MTC
07/14 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Bluesfest
07/24-26 Oro-Medonte, ON - WayHome Music & Arts Festival
07/27 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
07/29 Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid Cabaret
07/30 Saskatoon, SK - Amigos Cantina
07/31 Calgary, AB - The Republik
08/01 Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
08/03 Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theatre
08/04 Seattle, WA - Neumos
08/05 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
08/08-09 San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands
08/11 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
% with FIDLAR
^ with Protomartyr
& with Bad Breeding