The Canadian noise-makers METZ have announced they will release their new album Up On Gravity Hill on 12 April. It’s their first album in four years and will be available via Sub Pop for the world ex-Canada and in Canada on Dine Alone. The album was engineered by Seth Manchester (Mdou Moctar, Lingua Ignota, Battles, The Body) and features guest performances from Amber Webber of Black Mountain and composer/string arranger Owen Pallett.
METZ have spent the last few records exploring ways to turn abrasiveness into atmospherics, the evolution of their sound not only a reflection of the maturing of the band themselves but also of a changed world that demands nuance and compassion to comprehend and to survive. Up On Gravity Hill finds the band continuing to bend the raw power of rock music to its most delicate, intricate ends. Delivering a deep, detailed, and unyieldingly personal collection of songs that are fused together to form not only METZ’s most powerful record to date but also their most beautiful. Thus accompanying the album announcement METZ have shared two new contrasting singles: the stomping motorik ‘99‘, and the charging and deeply melodic, ‘Entwined (Street Light Buzz)’, that offers a dreamier Swervedriver-esque guitar sheen never before utilised by the Canadian trio.
METZ frontman Alex Edkins says:
“These two songs couldn’t be more stylistically and thematically dissimilar. ‘Entwined (Street Light Buzz)’ is a song about the deep connection humans can foster with one another and how we carry people with us forever, even after death. ‘99’ is about the scourge of corporate greed and bottom-line thinking that runs rampant in modern society. Anything for a buck is the message being sent to younger generations.”
METZ is also announcing headlining international tour dates supporting Up On Gravity Hill, with dates in North America from April 17th to May 17th and a run of UK and EU dates in November. The band also has a series of UK and EU festival performances in August.
METZ Tour Dates:
April
17th | Boston, MA – Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre $
19th | New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom $
20th | Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts $ *
21st | Baltimore, MD – Ottobar $
23rd | Atlanta, GA – The Earl $
24th – Birmingham, AL – Saturn $
25th | Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge $
26th | Austin, TX – The Parish (Austin Psych Fest) $
Apr 27th | Dallas, TX – Sons of Hermann Hall $
Apr 29th | Sante Fe, NM – Meow Wolf $
Apr 30th | Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar $
May
1st | San Diego, CA – The Casbah $
2nd | Los Angeles, CA – 1720 $
3rd | San Jose, CA – The Ritz $
4th | San Francisco, CA – The Chapel $
6th | Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom $
7th | Seattle, WA – Neumos $
10th | St. Paul, MN – Turf Club $
11th | Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge $
16th | Montreal, QE – Theatre Fairmount $
17th | Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall $
August
15th | Crickhowell, UK – Green Man Festival
16th | St Malo, FR La Route Du Rock
17th | Charleville-Mezières, FR – Cabaret Vert Festival
23rd | Malaga, ES – Canela Party
November
2nd | Rennes, FR – L’Antipode
3rd | La Rochelle, FR – La Sirène
4th | Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie
5th | Clermont-Ferrand, FR – La Coopérative de Mai
6th | Lyon, FR – Le Transbordeur
7th | Zurich, CH – Bogen F
9th | Prague, CZ – Futurum
10th | Budapest, HU – Turbina
12th | Krakow, PL – Klub Zascianek
13th | Warsaw, PL – Klub Hydrozagadka
16th | Berlin, DE – Hole44
18th | Copenhagen, DK – Loppen
19th | Hamburg, DE – Hafenklang
20th | Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
21st | Groningen, NL – Vera
22nd | Antwerp, BE – Trix
23rd | Lille, FR – L’Aéronef
25th | Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
26th | Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
27th | Birkenhead, UK – Future Yard
28th | Bristol, UK – Strange Brew
29th | London, UK – Village Underground
$ w/ Gouge Away
* w/ Rid of Me
For more information on Metz please check out their facebook and instagram.
