Metric

Formation and early releases

Metric originated from the creative partnership between Emily Haines and James Shaw, who met in Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern in mid-1996. Haines, born in New Delhi and raised in Fenelon Falls, Ontario, was a dual citizen of Canada and the United States who attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts and later studied at the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, and Concordia University. Her early musical influences came from cassettes made by her father, poet Paul Haines, featuring artists like Carla Bley and Robert Wyatt. Shaw, born in England and raised in Ontario, was studying music in Boston where he befriended future Stars members Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman before moving to New York City to attend the Juilliard School as a classical trumpet player. The duo began dating and writing songs together in Toronto, initially performing under the name Mainstream and self-releasing the five-song Mainstream EP in 1998 with a downtempo electronic feel. Later that year, they changed their name to Metric, a term derived from a sound setting on Shaw's keyboard while working on a song. In the fall of 1998, Haines, Shaw, Campbell, and Seligman moved to a shared loft in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn, where they lived for two years with future members of bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The pair signed a development deal with Warner Bros. Records and later a publishing deal with Chrysalis Records in London after a producer there heard their demos. They worked with producer Stephen Hague in London on new wave and synthpop demos before returning to Brooklyn in November 2000 to assemble a live band, recruiting drummer Joules Scott-Key from Flint, Michigan, and initially Jarrett Mason on bass.

Debut album and breakthrough

Metric's first official studio album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, was released in 2003 on Everloving Records. Produced by Michael Andrews and recorded at Elgonix Labs in Los Angeles, the album marked a shift towards a more guitar-driven indie rock sound while retaining electronic elements. It charted on the !earshot National Top 50 radio chart and was certified gold in Canada by December 2005. The singles "Combat Baby" and "Dead Disco" received significant airplay, with "Combat Baby" offered as a free download on iTunes in 2004. The band supported the album by moving to Los Angeles and performing regularly at venues like the Silverlake Lounge and Spaceland. Six music videos were created to promote the album for songs including "Calculation Theme", "IOU", "Combat Baby", "Succexy", and "Dead Disco". The band's profile was further increased by an appearance in the 2004 independent French film Clean, directed by Olivier Assayas and starring Maggie Cheung, where they performed "Dead Disco" and acted in a short sequence. The film, which also featured music by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, was nominated for the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. This period established Metric as a potent force in the Canadian indie scene, combining sharp songwriting with a distinctive visual and sonic identity.

Commercial success with Live It Out

The 2005 album Live It Out, produced by James Shaw and released on Last Gang Records, propelled Metric to new commercial heights. The album went double platinum in Canada, selling over 200,000 units, and was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for Canadian Album of the Year and the Juno Award for Best Alternative Album. Its lead single, "Monster Hospital", reached number 55 on the UK singles chart and was named Track of the Week by NME, which also ranked it number 12 on its Tracks of 2006 list. The album itself was ranked number 38 on NME's Recordings of 2006. Other singles from the album included "Poster of a Girl" and "Empty". The band supported the album with extensive global touring, including opening for the Rolling Stones on a coinciding New York City date, a UK-wide tour supporting Bloc Party, and performances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, The Great Escape in Brighton, and the Wireless Festival in London's Hyde Park. Their tour spanned concerts in France, Germany, Iceland, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, the United States, Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, and Japan. In 2007, their long-delayed debut recording, Grow Up and Blow Away, originally completed in April 2001 for Restless Records, was finally officially released by Last Gang with a revised track list that added songs from the 2001 EP Static Anonymity and removed others. Throughout the summer of 2007, the band road-tested new songs including "Black Sheep", "The Hooks", "Stadium Love", and "Up in Flames", performing several on a Myspace live webcast in October. In February 2008, they released the concert DVD Live at Metropolis, filmed at the Metropolis Theatre in Montreal.

Peak popularity with Fantasies

Metric achieved their broadest commercial success with their fourth album, Fantasies, self-released on April 7, 2009, through Last Gang Records in Canada and their own Metric Music International label. The album, produced by Gavin Brown and James Shaw and recorded at the band's Giant Studios in Toronto and Electric Lady Studios in New York, fused new wave and loud rock into an accessible yet complex package. It became the band's best-selling album, moving 500,000 copies by 2012, and won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year in 2010, the same year Metric also won Group of the Year. Fantasies was shortlisted for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize for Canadian Album of the Year. The lead single "Help, I'm Alive" was released on iTunes in Canada on December 23, 2008, and elsewhere on January 1, 2009. Other successful singles included "Gimme Sympathy", whose music video debuted on Myspace on March 16, 2009, and "Gold Guns Girls", which was remixed by Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda for his art exhibition. The band supported the album with a mini acoustic tour across Canada in late April 2009, a full European and North American festival tour, and their first Australian tour in October 2009.

The band supported their album Fantasies with several notable releases and charitable initiatives. In October 2009, Metric released a five-track EP called Plug in Plug Out containing acoustic versions of songs from Fantasies. That December, the band produced a charity T-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project to raise funding for musical education across Canada. Haines and Shaw performed an acoustic version of "Help I'm Alive" in January 2010 for the Canada for Haiti telethon. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Metric participated in re-recording K'Naan's song "Wavin' Flag" for the Young Artists for Haiti benefit movement.

• In October 2009, they released the five-track Plug in Plug Out EP containing acoustic versions of songs from the album, available on Amazon for 30 days.
• They produced a charity T-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project in December 2009 bearing the lyric 'Keep the dream tight' from their song "Hustle Rose" to fund musical education in Canada.
• Haines and Shaw performed "Help I'm Alive" acoustically for the Canada for Haiti telethon on January 22, 2010, and participated in the Young Artists for Haiti re-recording of "Wavin' Flag" for the 2010 Haiti earthquake relief.
• The track "Black Sheep" was released on August 10, 2010, for the soundtrack of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, with author Bryan Lee O'Malley citing Haines as inspiration for the character Envy Adams.
• Metric contributed the song "Eclipse (All Yours)", written with composer Howard Shore, to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack in June 2010 and performed it on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
• They opened for Muse on seven dates of The Resistance Tour in October and November 2010 and played the Voodoo Experience festival in New Orleans.
• In January 2011, they released an iTunes Session EP with live tracks and an interview, and in October 2011 launched a public remix project for Fantasies through Indaba Music.

This era marked Metric's ascension to headliner status at major festivals and arenas. In 2008, they performed at the Coachella Festival, the Ottawa Bluesfest, and the inaugural Pemberton Music Festival. They toured extensively in 2009, performing across Europe, the US, the UK, Canada, and on their first Australian tour. The band also toured with Sarah McLachlan for part of her 2010 Lilith Fair. Their consistent touring and festival appearances during the Fantasies album cycle solidified their position as a major live act.

Artistic evolution from Synthetica onward

The band's fifth album, Synthetica, was released on June 12, 2012, on their own Metric Music International label. Exploring themes of authenticity and artificiality, the album was produced by Gavin Brown, John O'Mahony, Liam O'Neil, and James Shaw at Giant Studios and Electric Lady Studios. It included a collaboration with Lou Reed, who sang with Haines on "The Wanderlust", a connection that began when Haines met Reed at a Neil Young tribute event. The first single "Youth Without Youth" was released online on April 30, 2012. Synthetica won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year in 2013, and James Shaw won the Juno for Producer of the Year for his work on the record, while designer Justin Broadbent won Recording Package of the Year for the album art. A deluxe version with five acoustic tracks was released on November 20, 2012. Metric followed this with Pagans in Vegas in 2015, an album that leaned more heavily into synthesizers and electronic textures. Their 2018 release, Art of Doubt, marked a return to a grittier, guitar-oriented rock sound. The band then pursued an ambitious two-album project, releasing Formentera in 2022 and Formentera II in 2023. These records were noted for their expansive song structures and thematic depth. Their tenth studio album, Romanticize the Dive, was released in 2026, demonstrating the band's continued productivity and artistic evolution over nearly three decades.

Band members, influences, and musical style

Metric's core sound is built around the creative axis of Emily Haines and James Shaw. Haines provides lead vocals, synthesizers, guitar, tambourine, harmonica, and piano, known for her distinctive, coolly detached vocal delivery and introspective lyrics shaped by early influences like Carla Bley and Robert Wyatt. Shaw handles guitar, synthesizers, theremin, and backing vocals, and serves as the band's primary producer and sonic architect, with a background that included classical trumpet training at Juilliard. The rhythm section consists of Joshua Winstead on bass and synthesizers and Joules Scott-Key on drums and percussion, both of whom contribute backing vocals and joined the band in the early 2000s to solidify the live lineup. The band's musical style is a sophisticated blend of indie rock, new wave, and synth-pop, characterized by driving rhythms, melodic synthesizer lines, and sharp, often socially observant lyrics. Their production aesthetic balances polished electronic elements with the raw energy of rock, a duality evident from the drum machine demos with Stephen Hague to the layered guitars of Live It Out. This approach has allowed them to appeal to both mainstream and alternative audiences while maintaining a distinct artistic identity rooted in the Toronto and Brooklyn indie scenes of the late 1990s.

Awards, recognition, and cultural impact

Throughout their career, Metric has been consistently recognized by Canada's major music award institutions. Their album Fantasies earned them two Juno Awards in 2010, for Alternative Album of the Year and Group of the Year. Three years later, Synthetica repeated the win for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2013 Junos, where James Shaw also won Producer of the Year and Justin Broadbent won for Recording Package of the Year. The band has been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, which honours the Canadian Album of the Year, on two occasions: for Live It Out in 2006 and for Fantasies in 2009. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine affirmed their lasting impact by placing Metric at number 41 on its list of The 50 Greatest Canadian Artists of All Time. Beyond awards, their music has been used in advertising, such as a 2001 Polaroid commercial that adapted "Grow Up and Blow Away", and in film soundtracks for Clean and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Their involvement in charity projects like Young Artists for Haiti and the Yellow Bird Project T-shirt initiative reflects a commitment to social causes. This combination of critical acclaim, commercial success, and cultural engagement confirms their significant contribution to Canadian alternative music.

Discography and sales milestones

Metric has built a substantial and successful discography over ten studio albums. Their commercial breakthrough came with Live It Out, which achieved double platinum status in Canada for sales exceeding 200,000 units. Fantasies surpassed that, becoming their best-selling album with 500,000 copies sold globally by 2012. Their debut album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? was certified gold in Canada in December 2005. The following table outlines their studio album releases and key certification milestones in Canada.

Metric has maintained a dedicated fan base and critical respect through consistent output and evolving their sound across each album cycle. The band has released numerous EPs throughout their career, including Mainstream EP in 1998, Static Anonymity in 2001, Plug in Plug Out in 2009, and iTunes Session in 2011. They have also released the concert DVD Live at Metropolis in 2008 and the remix collection Fantasies Flashbacks in 2011. In 2001, to build their early audience, Metric distributed handmade CD-R copies of unreleased music to fans at shows and by mail, and later gave away music on the internet.

Questions about Metric

Who are the members of Metric?

Metric consists of four core members. Emily Haines is the lead vocalist and plays synthesizers, guitar, tambourine, harmonica, and piano. James Shaw plays guitar, synthesizers, and theremin, and is the band's primary producer. Joshua Winstead is the bassist and also plays synthesizers, while Joules Scott-Key is the drummer and percussionist. Both Winstead and Scott-Key provide backing vocals. The band was originally formed as a duo by Haines and Shaw in 1998 under the name Mainstream before recruiting Scott-Key in 2000 and Winstead in 2002 to complete the permanent lineup.

What is Metric's most successful album?

Metric's most commercially successful album to date is Fantasies, released in 2009. By 2012, it had sold approximately 500,000 copies worldwide, making it their best-selling record. The album also earned the band significant critical acclaim, winning the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year in 2010 and being shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2009. Hit singles from Fantasies include "Help, I'm Alive", "Gimme Sympathy", and "Gold Guns Girls". The album was self-released through their own Metric Music International label and Last Gang Records in Canada.

How many Juno Awards has Metric won?

Metric has won three Juno Awards. In 2010, they won two awards: Group of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year for Fantasies. In 2013, they won another Alternative Album of the Year award for their album Synthetica. James Shaw won the Juno Award for Producer of the Year in 2013 for his work on Synthetica, and art director Justin Broadbent won Recording Package of the Year for the same album. The band has also received several other Juno nominations throughout their career, including a 2006 nomination for Live It Out.

What was Metric's original band name?

Before becoming Metric, the duo of Emily Haines and James Shaw performed under the name Mainstream. They released a five-song EP called Mainstream EP in 1998, which had a downtempo and electronic feel. The name Metric was adopted later in 1998. It originated as the name of a specific sound that James Shaw had programmed into his keyboard while working on a song. They felt the new name better represented their artistic direction. The band's early development included a signing with Warner Bros. Records and a publishing deal with Chrysalis Records in London.

Has Metric's music been featured in movies?

Yes, Metric's music has appeared in several films. Their song "Dead Disco" was featured in the 2004 independent film Clean, directed by Olivier Assayas, where the band also made a cameo appearance. The track "Black Sheep" was included on the soundtrack for the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, though in the movie it is performed by actress Brie Larson's character Envy Adams. Metric contributed an original song, "Eclipse (All Yours)", co-written with composer Howard Shore, to the soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse in 2010. Their music was also used in a 2001 Polaroid television commercial.

When was Metric's latest album released?

Metric's most recent album as of the latest information is Romanticize the Dive, which was released in 2026. This is their tenth studio album. It was preceded by a two-part album project: Formentera was released in 2022, and its sequel, Formentera II, was released in 2023. The band has maintained a steady pace of releasing new music, demonstrating their ongoing creativity and relevance in the indie rock scene. Their discography shows a pattern of releasing a new studio album every three to four years since their 2003 debut.

Sources and further reading

• Metric (Wikipedia)
• 21st Century Music: Metric, Ceremony (ceremonymusic.ca)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-02.