METZ
Album: Atlas Vending
Release Date: 2020
USA
METZ is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 2008 in Ottawa and currently based in Toronto. The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach, and drummer Hayden Menzies. Following METZ (October 9, 2012, Sub Pop), II (May 4, 2015, Sub Pop), and Strange Peace (September 22, 2017, Sub Pop), they released their fourth studio album, Atlas Vending, in October 2020.
Hayden, thank you for this interview. There so many things I have huge respect about METZ such as how you guys go your own way with your sound, how you still dare to make long tracks, or how incredible your live performances can get. What are your main motivations when you’re making your music?
Thanks! The main motivations have been the same since the beginning. Challenge ourselves, don’t pander, leave it all on stage and have fun doing it! The drive to change and evolve is important to us. It’s kind of a domino effect. If we settle for a formulaic approach to music, it sacrifices enthusiasm, excitement to play live, longevity, and engagement with people who are gracious enough to come along for the ride.
METZ’s musical character itself feels like a journey in rock music history. How did you manage to remain yourself despite all the influences in your music?
I think by limiting the use of the word “no” in our vocabulary, it has encouraged us to experiment and take chances. They may not always be successful, but trying to apply different approaches from different styles of music and adapting it to our playing style keeps us humble and driven to go further while still being ourselves.
Metz 
II 
Strange Peace 
Atlas Vending
Congratulations on your new album. You made such a great debut album, and then such a great second album, and then came the incredible Strange Peace in 2017. How satisfied are you with Atlas Vending now?
Thank you! We’re very proud of Atlas Vending. It’s our best record to date and we couldn’t be more happy with how it came together and that it’s finally out. It’s hard to pinpoint any single factor that makes it so special to us. We took our time writing, we tried new things, opened ourselves up to more dynamic song parts, allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, and we worked with amazing people on it (Ben Greenberg, Seth Manchester) and it all made the entire process one of our favorite album experiences to date.
Your music offers journeys, what does Atlas Vending mean in METZ’s journey?
Atlas Vending means a lot of things. Life, adversity, growth, vulnerability, friendship, commitment, laughter… everything that should play an important role in getting older and maintaining passion for one’s craft while navigating life in general.
Speaking of that journey, how does it feel to be a part of Sub Pop?
We get asked this question a lot and I’m proud to say, the answer is always the same. Sub Pop has become family and it’s a rewarding place for a band to call home. Their legacy speaks volumes, but when you get to experience the behind the scenes workings of the people who make this thing tick, and develop relationships that are supportive and encouraging, it’s absolutely inspiring.
Will you please talk about our staff addiction A Boat to Drown In and its significance for the album a little bit?
I won’t comment on it lyrically, but it was a song that almost didn’t make the record. We kept coming back to it and it just blossomed into something that really grew on us. It signifies a lesson in restraint and an effort to go with your gut. It had a feel to it that was liberating and heartfelt so we dove in and saw it all the way through, even if that meant us stepping outside of our comfort zone.
You’ve always had the best artwork, the best album covers, and the best videos but you guys have managed to reach a ridiculous level with your last two videos. What would you say about your videos from the new album? How did they come together?
All of our album covers have come from working with great artists. Primarily Alex’s father who was the photographer behind the first 2 LPs and our latest, Atlas Vending. We really hit the jackpot with videos for this new record. I agree haha. It’s a bit of a blur now, but people either reached out to us or we reached out to people we were fans of and conversations went really well so we kind of let the directors follow through with their own vision. They all nailed it and really went the extra mile to have them turn out as well as they did. Honoured to have worked with people who wanted to contribute something special to a batch of songs that means so much to us.
You have toured a lot in the pre-pandemic times. How would you describe 2020, and how do you think it affected your new album?
We do tour a lot. We still love it. Sharing music live is still an integral part of our band. The album was finished in 2019 so I can’t say that this year, 2020, affected that part of it, but it has certainly altered things now. Primarily touring and figuring out our next steps. 2020 has been a rough fucking year. It’s a pressure cooker environment with no playbook and it’s extremely hard for even the most level individual to navigate. Everything from the pandemic, politics, racial injustice, the environment, death… this year will be talked about from decades to come and I truly hope we eventually have something good to report from it all.
Before we close, what would you like to say about your Opera House event?
This shit is gonna be a blast.
Lyrics: A Boat to Drown In
Hold on tight
We’re leaving at midnight
And if we don’t leave now we’re not getting out alive
Feel the air expand and retract, the future lasts forever
Let the crowd sink to the ground, there’s nothing left to hold you back
Dead eyes, life in your hands now
And if you see headlights man you better run for cover
Hands tied, throw the old plan out
Because I need to leave this place now more than ever
I can see it now
Jesus Christ, I see the city lights
Crashed through the pearly gates and opened up my eyes
Feel the air expand and retract, make your boat to drown in
Hear the sound touching the ground
There’s nothing here to hold you back
Dead eyes, life in your hands now
And if you see headlights man you better run for cover
Hands tied, throw the old plan out
Because I need to leave this place now more than ever
I can see it now
Lyrics: Blind Youth Industrial Park
A new distorted lens to look through
Can’t seem to find a way to get free, to get through
I’ve never seen a sight, I’ve never seen a sight
That looked so beautiful and true
I know exactly what you’re thinking
I know exactly who you are
The words you say have lost the meaning
Can’t seem to find a way to hold on to something more
Blind youth, we could always make the pieces fit
Blind youth, there ain’t no going back to it.
Forever getting lost without you
Gone are the days we’d climb, we’d claw, we’d dig, we’d move
We never saw the sun, we never saw the sun
We knew that none of it was true
I know exactly what you’re thinking
I know exactly who you are
The words you say have lost the meaning
Can’t seem to find a way to hold on to something more
Blind youth, we could always make the pieces fit
Blind youth, there ain’t no going back to it.
Tracklist: Atlas Vending
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 Comets Tail“
9. “Parasite”
10. “A Boat to Drown In”
