Am 9. Oktober veröffentlicht die kanadische Punkband METZ mit „Atlas Vending“, das dynamischste und fesselndste Werk ihrer Karriere. Jedes der zehn Lieder von „Atlas Vending“ bietet eine Momentaufnahme des Status Quo der heutigen gesellschaftlichen Zustände.
Dabei schneiden METZ unterschiedlichste Themen an, wie Vaterschaft, erdrückende soziale Ängste, Sucht, Isolation, medieninduzierte Paranoia und den rastlosen Drang, alles hinter sich zu
lassen.
Die erste Single von „Atlas Vending“, „A Boat to Drown In", handelt, laut Frontmann 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.” Die Regie zum
Musikvideo führte Tony Wolski, der im Clip versucht diese Ideen visuell aufzuwerten und zu erweitern. 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.” Die scheinbar ruhige Atmosphäre des Cafés, in dem das knapp achteinhalb Musikvideo startet, trügt – schnell
verschwimmt die Welt der Protagonistin in einem wilden Mix aus Wahn und Vision, Romantik und Trauer.
Album Bio:
„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.
While past METZ albums thrived on an abrasive relentlessness, the trio embarked on „Atlas Vending“ 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.
