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
Too Little Too Late
Metric Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Place your swollen lips on mine
You can shave your heavy head in my carpeted hallway
Sure for the first time you're wearing the right clothes
Now take them off
Meet me on the band room rug
Tie my right hand to the ride
You can take a live wire into the bath with you
For a feeling you can't find
You can entertain your childhood friends with a tour of the bedroom
Laugh to erase the dirt on your mind
Oh let's move out
Meet me at the motel
Tie my right hand to the bible
Too little too late but we can't say no
It's too much to feel
Tie my right hand to the bible
The lyrics of Metric's "Too Little Too Late" might seem a bit confusing at first but they perfectly capture the feeling of being stuck in a toxic relationship. When the song starts, we see a person who is willing to do anything to please their partner, even if it means hurting themselves. "You can burn your paper fingers in the ashtray, place your swollen lips on mine" is an image of someone who is trying to prove their love by enduring physical pain. The line "Sure for the first time you're wearing the right clothes, now take them off" is an example of how the partner is constantly controlling the singer's thoughts and actions.
As the song progresses, we see the singer realizing that this relationship is destroying them. The line "Too little too late but we can't say no" is a perfect representation of the feeling of being stuck in a relationship that you know is not good for you but you can't escape. The image of tying the right hand to the bible is the singer's way of saying that they need to break free from this toxic relationship and start a new chapter in their life.
Overall, "Too Little Too Late" is a powerful song that perfectly captures the complexities of a toxic relationship. The lyrics, combined with the driving beat and Emily Haines' distinctive vocals, create a song that is both haunting and powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
You can burn your paper fingers in the ashtray
You have the ability to destroy yourself with your own actions
Place your swollen lips on mine
Let's forget our problems and kiss
You can shave your heavy head in my carpeted hallway
You can come to me for comfort and find solace in my home
Sure for the first time you're wearing the right clothes
Finally, you're on the right path and making good decisions
Now take them off
However, there's still something you're holding onto that needs to go
Meet me on the band room rug
Let's have a moment of vulnerability and connect
Tie my right hand to the ride
I'm willing to surrender control to be with you
You can take a live wire into the bath with you
You're willing to do dangerous things just to feel alive
For a feeling you can't find
You're searching for fulfillment and meaning in your life
You can entertain your childhood friends with a tour of the bedroom
You try to cover up your insecurities by showing off your possessions
Laugh to erase the dirt on your mind
You use humor to hide your true emotions and forget the pain
Oh let's move out
It's time to leave our current situation and start fresh
Meet me at the motel
We need a new space to connect and be together
Tie my right hand to the bible
I'm willing to make a commitment to you and be loyal
Too little too late but we can't say no
We both know we missed our chance, but we can't resist each other
It's too much to feel
Our emotions are overwhelming and hard to handle
Tie my right hand to the bible
Once again, I'm willing to commit to you and be faithful
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES, JAMES SHAW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roiybenkel682
You can burn your paper fingers in the ashtray
Place your swollen lips on mine
You can shave your heavy head in my carpeted hallway
Sure for the first time you're wearing the right clothes
Now take them off
Meet me on the band room rug
Tie my right hand to the ride
You can take a live wire into the bath with you
For a feeling you can't find
You can entertain your childhood friends with a tour of the bedroom
Laugh to erase the dirt on your mind
Oh let's move out
Meet me at the motel
Tie my right hand to the bible
Too little too late but we can't say no
It's too much to feel
Tie my right hand to the bible
@stanky_stacey7006
✨Lyrics:
You can burn your paper fingers in the ashtray
Place your swollen lips on mine
You can shave your heavy head in my carpeted hallway
Sure for the first time you're wearing the right clothes
Now take them off
Meet me on the band room rug
Tie my right hand to the ride
You can take a live wire into the bath with you
For a feeling you can't find
You can entertain your childhood friends with a tour of the bedroom
Laugh to erase the dirt on your mind
Oh let's move out
Meet me at the motel
Tie my right hand to the bible
Too little too late but we don't say no
It's too much to feel
Tie my right hand to the bible
@ericfoster8411
I clearly had immaculate taste in music when I was 15 back in like 2005. This album sounds just as fresh now
@MemeinAndDreamin
Metric in general has always been pretty ahead of the curve, their newer stuff ain't as fresh as the old days but still pretty quality.
@michelletrevizoponce9109
after 13 years still love it
@isamirzayev9905
I m still here)
@TheDREproductions
After so many years i still keep coming back to this album
@thisismoi9247
i think it's their best
@Univine
It seems like every other month I find my new favorite Metric song.
This one might last.
@alanwatson7472
With so many gems, it's hard not to have a floating fave track. This is mine atm. :)
@faizelpahad5854
This one definitely lasts!
@duckgoesmooo
Mine rotate, iIl play one to death and go back around to another.