So far, Metric has released eight studio albums: Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (2003), Live It Out (2005), Grow Up and Blow Away (2007), Fantasies (2009), Synthetica (2012), Pagans in Vegas (2015), Art of Doubt (2018), and Formentera (2022).
Besides Metric, Emily Haines and James Shaw also perform with Broken Social Scene. Joules Scott-Key and Joshua Winstead have their own side project, Bang Lime. Emily Haines released her debut album Cut in Half and Also Double in 1996 and two records under the moniker Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton: the album Knives Don't Have Your Back in 2006 and the 6-track EP What Is Free to a Good Home? in 2007. She also has been a guest on albums by Stars, The Crystal Method, KC Accidental, Delerium, The Stills and Jason Collett.
Emily Haines was born in New Delhi, India and raised since the age of 3 in Peterborough, Ontario. The daughter of poet Paul Haines grew up as a dual citizen of Canada and India. Her father would often make cassettes of rare and eclectic music for his daughter to listen to and her early influences included Carla Bley and Robert Wyatt. By her teens she followed her parents' footsteps by attending the Etobicoke School of the Arts. There she met Amy Millan and Kevin Drew, with whom she would later collaborate in hHead. Haines and Millan briefly formed their first band around 1990 while at ESA and with songs later written and recorded while at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 1992–1993, at Toronto in 1995 and at Concordia University in Montreal in 1995–1996, Haines distributed in 1996 an early effort called Cut in Half and Also Double with a limited number of copies.
James Shaw was born in the UK. He was a student at a Boston music school and was friends with Torquil Campbell, a vocalist who would later form Stars and Chris Seligman, the future synthesizer player of Stars. Torquil had plans to move to New York City and on his suggestion Shaw applied to Juilliard Music School and moved to New York with him. In 1998, Shaw and Torquil returned to Toronto, where Haines met Shaw through mutual friends in the local music scene. Shaw moved to Montreal where Haines was still living and the two worked on filling out each other's projects. The first song made by Shaw and Haines was "Butcher" and eventually they had completed in 1998 several other tracks in their home studio, gathered on Mainstream EP, a collection of demos with an overall downtempo and electronic feel.
In the fall of 1998, Shaw moved back to New York City, this time accompanied by Haines, Campbell and Seligman. There they shared a loft in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. During their two-year stay at the loft, Haines and Shaw were erstwhile room mates with future members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars and TV on the Radio.
Haines and Shaw set off to London in early 2000 and signed a publishing deal with Chrysalis Records. With the help of producer Stephen Hague, Metric worked on a new batch of New Wave/electropop drum-machine paced songs that would form the nucleus of their debut album. The effort dubbed Grow Up and Blow Away, revealed a more musically-layered and mature sound than the earlier Mainstream EP. Haines and Shaw completed the album in April 2001 and by this time had found a label for their release, Restless Records. The album was delayed for years by their record label.
The band performed in New York in early Spring and late Summer 2001, personally circulating handmade CD-R copies of their unreleased music to fans at shows and by mail, eventually giving the music away for free on the internet. Metric at the time was for the most part a studio band and live shows approximated the synthesizer-centered and drum-machine driven sound of the recordings. In the same year they issued a 5-track EP entitled Static Anonymity and two promo singles: "Grow Up and Blow Away" and "Raw Sugar".
In the winter of 2001, Metric had gained two new bandmates: the drummer Joules Scott-Key (born in Flint, Michigan) and the bass player Joshua Winstead. Joules Scott-Key was attending college in Texas was in town with his friend Joshua Winstead performing in the local music scene. Scott-Key and Winstead had known each other for about a decade and they met Shaw and Haines at the Brooklyn loft and at local performances.
On 2 September 2003, Metric released their first official studio album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? on Last Gang Records. The album was received with positive reviews and it has gone gold in Canada. They released 2 singles from the album, "Combat Baby" and "Dead Disco".
On 27 September 2005, the band released their second studio album, Live It Out on Last Gang Records. The album was well received and has since gone twice platinum in Canada, selling over 200,000 units. They issued 4 singles: "Monster Hospital", "Poster of a Girl", and "Empty". The band has toured the world extensively for several years. They also opened for The Rolling Stones in NYC.
On 26 June 2007, Last Gang Records released Metric's 2001 album Grow Up and Blow Away, after purchasing the rights to the album from band's previous label. In 2007 they released a live EP entitled Live at Metropolis followed a year later by a DVD with the same name featuring a concert recorded from Montreal.
On 7 April 2009, Metric released their fourth album Fantasies on their own label, Metric Music International. In the US it debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers and peaked at #76 on the Billboard 200, in Canada it debuted at #13 on the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked at #6 and in Australia, the album debuted at #48. The album received mostly positive reviews and it's their most successful record to date. They released 6 singles: "Help I'm Alive", "Front Row", "Gimme Sympathy", "Sick Muse", "Gold Guns Girls" and "Stadium Love".
Amazon.com listed Fantasies in eleventh in its "Best Albums of 2009" list. This album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize and also won two Casby Awards, the NXNE favourite new indie release award and favourite new album award. On 18 April 2010, the album won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2010 Awards, as well as the band winning Group of the Year.
On 27 October 2009, Metric released a 5-track EP called Plug In Plug Out containing acoustic versions of five songs from Fantasies. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Metric, along with several other Canadian music acts, came together in Vancouver to re-record K'Naan's song "Wavin' Flag" to benefit Haiti in a movement called Young Artists for Haiti.
In 2010, the band contributed to Twilight: Eclipse movie soundtrack with a song entitled "Eclipse (All Yours)". In the same year, a previously unreleased song "Black Sheep" was used on the soundtrack of the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. In 2011, Metric issued the live EP iTunes Session.
On 18 September 2015, Metric released their sixth album, Pagans in Vegas.
On September 21, 2018, Metric released their seventh album, Art of Doubt.
On July 8, 2022, Metric released their eighth album, Formentera .
On October 13, 2023, Metric released their ninth album, Formentera II.
EPs
Mainstream EP (1998)
Static Anonymity (2001)
Live at Metropolis (2007)
Plug In, Plug Out (2009)
Spotify Acoustic EP (2010)
Spotify Covers EP (2010)
iTunes Session EP (2011)
The Shade EP [Cassette only] (2015)
were featured in:
3 films
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Cosmopolis
"Handshakes" and "Gold Guns Girls" were used as a radio soundtrack in Test Drive Unlimited.
Official site: http://www.ilovemetric.com
Poster of a Girl
Metric Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hate to sleep alone
Surprises always help
So I take somebody home
To find out how I feel
Feel like just a baby
Portrait of a lady
Poster of a girl
Satisfy myself
Avoid beginners
Who long to shut my mouth
'Til I take one of them home
'Cause I know how it feels
Filling in the blanks
Looking on the bright side
When there is no bright side
Coming in your pants
For the off chance
With a poster of a girl
The lyrics above are from Metric's song "Poster of a Girl" and are about a person who has difficulty being alone and seeks out casual sex as a means of avoiding loneliness. The song speaks of using other people to fill a void, despite not really feeling any emotional connection to them. The lyrics suggest that the singer is struggling with emotional immaturity and could be experiencing a "Peter Pan" complex where they are reluctant to fully grow up and take on the responsibilities of adult life. The title "Poster of a Girl" is interesting as it suggests the singer's attraction to objects rather than people and implies that the people they sleep with are just objects to help them feel better.
The chorus of the song is particularly interesting as it describes the person the singer is sleeping with as a "portrait of a lady" and a "poster of a girl". The first phrase suggests that they are trying to find someone who represents what they think a woman should be, rather than someone who is a real and complex human being. The second phrase, "poster of a girl", implies that they are seeking out people who are more like images or symbols than actual people they can connect with. This relates to the theme of emotional immaturity in the lyrics as it suggests the singer is more interested in the idea of being with someone than actually connecting with someone on a real and vulnerable level.
Overall, "Poster of a Girl" is a powerful and insightful song that speaks to the difficulties of being alone and the often-destructive ways that people try to avoid or cope with loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't stand by myself
I cannot bear to be alone.
Hate to sleep alone
I dislike sleeping without someone else with me.
Surprises always help
Unexpected events bring some comfort to me.
So I take somebody home
I bring someone home to fill the void of loneliness.
To find out how I feel
I use physical experiences to try and figure out my emotional state.
Feel like just a baby
I feel immature and helpless.
Portrait of a lady
I try to present myself as elegant and refined.
Poster of a girl
I project a fabricated image of myself - like a poster - that doesn't truly represent me.
Satisfy myself
I seek physical pleasure as a means of fulfillment.
Avoid beginners
I avoid inexperienced partners in favor of someone more skilled.
Who long to shut my mouth
I avoid people who try to silence me or my opinions.
Till I take one of them home
I seek out a partner despite their potential to suppress or control me.
'Cause I know how it feels
I can relate to the feeling of being silenced or dominated.
Filling in the blanks
I try to understand someone's personality or intentions without actually knowing them well.
Looking on the bright side
I try to stay optimistic or positive despite the lack of positivity around me.
When there is no bright side
Despite my efforts, I recognize that positivity may not always be possible.
Coming in your pants
I receive sexual pleasure and release.
For the off chance
I pursue sexual encounters to chase the slim possibility of something more fulfilling.
With a poster of a girl
Despite my physical satisfaction, I feel unsatisfied and unfulfilled in who I am projecting myself to be.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES, JAMES SHAW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The EatMe Beatme Lady
Can't stand by myself
Hate to sleep alone
Surprises always help
So I take somebody home
To find out how I feel
Feel like just a baby
Portrait of a lady
Poster of a girl
Je sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Tu sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Tu sais que je n'aime pas ma réalité
Je sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Tu sais que je n'aime pas ma réalité
On ne peut pas fabriquer la vérité
Tu sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Je sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Satisfy myself
Avoid beginners
Who long to shut my mouth
Till I take one of them home
'Cause I know how it feels
Filling in the blanks
Looking on the bright side
When there is no bright side
Coming in your pants
For the off chance
With a...
poster of a girl
Je deteste dormir sans une présence
Les surprises semblent alléger ma solitude
Alors je ramčne quelqu'un dans mon lit
Afin de découvrir comment je me sens
Comme un bébé
Portrait d'une femme
Affiche d'une fille
Portrait d'une femme
Affiche d'une fille
Me satisfaire
Eviter les novices
Ceux qui cherchent ŕ me faire taire
Jusqu'ŕ ce que je rentre avec l'un d'eux
Car je connais la sensation
De chercher le fil d'or
Et de ne jamais le trouver
Coming in your pants
Qui ne pense qu'ŕ coucher avec une
fille d'affiche
Affiche d'une fille
Une fille d'affiche
Potrait d'une femme
Affiche d'une fille
Tu sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Je sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
On ne peut pas fabriquer la vérité
Je sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Tu sais que tu n'aimes pas ta réalité
Sarah L
I remember listening to them and this album feverishly..where does the time go. From a wistful teenager to a 30 something.
trashpanda
Omg same. I could cry lol
darbi rhian
My 30s were better than my 20s. You're still young. Cherish these years!
ChaosMoogle Reacts
100000000%
randel hanson
Feverishly? That seems a bit extreme.
Mike Palmer
Me too lol, this is how it feels to get old?! I miss the good old days
This is moi
one of their best songs and one of their best videos. Metric has such a special pop-indie sensibility that is rare, and Emily's lyrics are freaking haunting, even her solo stuff is mindblowing.
Triple Thread
This was the first song I ever downloaded on Limewire
Roibéard Coughlan
Wow, this brought back memories 😍
TheNazzerDawk
I was introduced to Metric by this song and also got it through Limewire lol