Music
Plus One
The 11 best Metric songs
Why have a Top 10 when you can have one more? Here are 11 of the best songs from the Canadian indie rock outfit, ranked
Canada’s greatest export since maple syrup, Metric have been producing top-notch rock since 1998. The Toronto foursome emerged as children of the post-punk revival before outliving that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it movement, refining a signature brew of new wave synths, crunchy guitars and lush vocals. Ahead of their return to European stages in September, we’ve picked the 11 best songs from their 10-album, near-30-year career. It was bloody hard.
11. Victim of Luck
(Romanticize The Dive, 2026)
The opener of the band’s latest album sees singer Emily Haines let go of her vanity and embrace herself for who she is. “It’s time to live my life like it’s never been done,” she declares, the sense of triumph underscored by dreamy keys and peppy percussion. Time will tell whether or not this goes down as a fan-favourite, but it bears all the hallmarks.
10. Days of Oblivion
(Formentera II, 2023)
From the uplifting to the apocalyptic. This single from part two of the Formentera saga is about feeling what you need to feel, when you need to feel it, and it’s suitably downtempo and reflective. Hearing the line “I’ve unlocked all the doors and I’ll never find the keys / And I live in a mansion now, made up of memories”, on top of pensive acoustic guitar, stabs at the heart in the very best way.
9. Breathing Underwater
(Synthetica, 2012)
Synthetica flips the Metric script, eschewing predecessor Fantasies’ guitar-heavy approach to focus on keyboards and mood. ‘Breathing Underwater’ takes that soundscape to cinematic and bittersweet places, as Haines examines the human experience for better and worse over a hypnotic, Vangelis-like groove. She eventually promises, “We’ll beat a path through the mirrored maze / I can see the end, but it hasn’t happened yet,” vowing to find serenity amidst the chaos of life. Beautiful stuff.
8. Gimme Sympathy
(Fantasies, 2009)
Who would you rather be: the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? ‘Gimme Sympathy’ expands this question, a long-lasting debate between Haines and guitarist/producer James Shaw, into an introspective yet ambiguous track, which references the two iconic bands as well as the mistakes one makes when they’re young. The mystery comes wrapped in a sheet of glossy anthemia, as an understated performance from Haines gets contrasted against vivacious riffing and throbbing bass.
7. Blind Valentine
(Pagans in Vegas, 2015)
Many call Pagans in Vegas Metric’s weakest effort, and as it drags through the cliched “Hey! Hey! Hey!”-ing of ‘Lie Lie Lie’ and the annoying synth line of ‘Fortunes’, it’s hard to disagree. However, ‘Blind Valentine’ is a shimmering diamond in the rough. It’s a simple, jaded love song where Haines quietly seethes and lays down one of her most captivating performances. Give it another chance.
6. Combat Baby
(Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, 2003)
This post-punk scorcher may be angsty and of its time, but it was one of the first signs that Metric are top-shelf songwriters. It rages against the perceived abandonment of alternative ideals, lambasting people in “faux punk fatigues” and how “every mighty, mild 70s child beats me”. Its main weapon in its anti-poser campaign is that airtight chorus, which urges listeners to “fight off the lethargy”. A sign of impressive things to come.
5. Dark Saturday (Art of Doubt, 2018)
(Art of Doubt, 2018)
Art of Doubt is the band’s darkest album, so putting a song called ‘Dark Saturday’ at the front makes sense. It’s not just the title that aptly opens this black hole, either; when Shaw unloads a series of aggressive chords at the outset, it telegraphs that this ain’t yer mum’s Metric. But, the chorus still comes with a shot of dopamine, Haines’ voice hitting a higher gear atop some stampeding rock ’n’ roll.
4. Help I’m Alive
(Fantasies, 2009)
Fantasies was Metric’s first new album in four years (2007’s Grow Up and Blow Away was recorded before their debut), and this lead single flaunts how much they grew in that time. It’s a masterclass in songwriting economy, with that “beating like a hammer” refrain, the pre-chorus and the actual chorus all being more addictive than caffeine. The fact that this isn’t even the best song of that era is mind-boggling.
3. What Feels Like Eternity
(Formentera, 2022)
Formentera was Metric’s finest hour in more than a decade, to the point that half the tracks were in contention for this list. Ultimately, ‘What Feels Like Eternity’ pipped the others to the post by combining the album’s overarching, pandemic-era despondence with some delectable melody-making. From the opening, pulsing electronics to the summery guitar sections and that driving chorus, it’s an odyssey in four minutes that milks the most from every second.
2. Gold Guns Girls
(Fantasies, 2009)
Boasting a career-defining riff from Shaw, ‘Gold Guns Girls’ is an exhilarating rocker with poignant observations on greed and corruption. Haines heard an early demo while watching crime classic Scarface, so she wrote about how no level of success seems to be enough for people. Some listens will make you think about the human condition, and others will make you want to flip a table. Both are valid reactions.
1. Black Sheep
(Scott Pilgrim vs the World: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2010)
Metric’s quintessential single was denied a place on Fantasies. With its big riff, loud synths and cartoonish vocal hooks, the band were scared they’d veered into self-parody, but that ‘everything which makes us special dialled up to 11’ approach is why ‘Black Sheep’ stands as their greatest achievement. Its pounding instrumental gives way to a commanding turn from Haines, who chews nonsense lines like “It’s a mechanical bull, number one, who’d take a ride from anyone” with sheer, infectious flamboyance. Everyone, thank Edgar Wright and the Scott Pilgrim team for pulling this masterpiece off the scrapheap.
