Metric – Synthetica

Synthetica may be Metric’s most impressive effort to date. Amongst its tales of confusion and love gone awry, it is a dramatic and skilfully put together record. This introspective collection strips things down when it needs to, creating tracks which are organic and sparsely beautiful.

However, track Youth without Youth gets wearisome quickly, prompting an unpromising start to the album. The stodgy guitar sounds turgid and weighs down the melody. Big echoing drum claps and glacial soundscapes provide the backdrop for the monotonous vocals that howl over glittering stabs of icy synth.

Lyrically rich in social observations, Dreams So Real shows Metric’s archly intelligent lexicon – an absorbing, perfectly rendered window into the mind of true talent. But peel away the lachrymose lyrics and you get a warm, soft synth drone – the supporting arms that go on to cradle the rest of the album.

Nothing But Time sashays neatly with an impressive casual grace. With an anthemic chorus and the spacey-momentum of glitter-encrusted synths, Nothing But Time is an undeniably spirited affair. Awash with flurries of fast paced instrumentation, this track bristles with a kinetic energy. Merging old sounds with new, sweet melodies and dark lyrics, Nothing But Time perfectly encapsulates Metric’s 80’s-tinged retro-futurism.

Synthetica is an album of outstanding lyrical wit and wisdom. Twinkling electronics, hazy riffs, throbbing basslines and haunting female vocals come together to form a record of interesting patterns and structures to cap a glorious return.

Standout Track: Dreams So Real

Naomi Couper

Synthetica is released on 12^th June 2012.

Watch the video for Youth Without Youth here: