Fantasies

Metric's fourth outing offers more than a few surprises.

Fantasies, Metric’s fourth outing and first self-released album, finds songstress Emily Haines and her bandmates sifting through their various musical identities to piece together what Haines has referred to as the 'fragmentation of my existence.' After nearly three years of living apart and pursuing side projects—the Soft Skeleton for Haines, a new recording studio for guitarist Jimmy Shaw, and garage-rock offshoot Bang Lime for bassist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key—the synthy charisma of these songs sounds exactly like a unifying of some pretty complex appendages. From the wary, industrial stutter of 'Help, I’m Alive' to the chase suspense of 'Sick Muse' and the crashing anthemic stomp of 'Stadium Love,' every hook keeps you guessing, listening for the next shifty guitar line or surprising vocal swell under all the shimmering, dancey beats. Fantasies is a grand evolution from everything Metric has done before.