Jagged guitars and motorik rhythms meet Emily Haines's breathy, cynical delivery. A gritty, neon-lit document of mid-2000s urban anxiety and indie rock defiance.
It's the perfect record for when you want to feel like a cool, slightly stressed-out protagonist in a movie set in 2005 Toronto.
A high-tension blend of danceable rhythms and distorted, cynical rock energy.
Released in 2005, Live It Out represents a pivotal hardening of Metric's sound. Following the success of Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, the band opted for a more organic, guitar-heavy approach that emphasized their live energy. Recorded primarily in Toronto and New York, the album was produced by guitarist James Shaw, which allowed for a deeper exploration of the band's post-punk and new wave influences. Critics from AllMusic and NME praised the record for its grit and Haines's sharp lyrical wit, noting that it successfully avoided the 'sophomore slump' by leaning into a more confrontational sonic palette. The album was a commercial success in Canada, achieving Platinum status and earning a shortlist spot for the inaugural Polaris Music Prize. It remains a fan favorite for its balance of danceable rhythms and aggressive, art-rock sensibilities, serving as a bridge between their lo-fi beginnings and their later, more cinematic stadium-rock efforts.
Put this on for
Neon signs blurring through a rain-streaked taxi windowLast cigarette on a fire escape before heading back insideFast-paced walk through a city that feels too smallEmpty dancefloor at 2am when the lights stay lowPacing a studio apartment while the coffee gets coldSubway car rattling between stations in the darkVolume knob cranked to drown out a crowded room
Moments worth waiting for
The frantic, repetitive guitar chime that drives the bridge of Monster Hospital into a frenzy.
The slow-burn opening of Empty that builds into a massive, wall-of-sound guitar climax.
The way the synth line in Poster of a Girl mimics a cold, mechanical heartbeat.
Sounds like
2005s production with a 2000s soul
Sits beside
Fever to Tell - Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Silent Alarm - Bloc Party, The Teaches of Peaches - Peaches, Echoes - The Rapture
Lyrical territory
social_commentary, self_examination, existential
03Deviation
Live It Out · vs · Metric
Artist
This Album
Analog_warmth
Production · ↓ −20% less than usual
On this album, analog_warmth sits about 20% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
