METZ

METZ - 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 offer a snapshot of today's modern condition

and together form a musical and narrative whole. .. 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.

TRACKLISTING: 01. PULSE 02. BLIND YOUTH INDUSTRIAL PARK 03. THE MIRROR 04. NO CEILING

05. HAIL TAXI 06. DRAW US

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