METZ

INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST AND VOCALIST ALEX EDKINS, BASSIST CHRIS SLORACH, AND DRUMMER HAYDEN MENZIESBY BY JOHN SILVA

Even before COVID “’Pulse’ is one of the heaviest shook the world and things we’ve ever done, and the the music industry, To- ending is one of the most groronto post-punk trio tesque things we’ve ever done,” METZ made the executive deci- Edkins says. “And then, you get lesion to push the release date of gitimately what we would considtheir new album, Atlas Vending, to er pretty parts, or beautiful parts October 9. The original release that, you know, we dialed down date conflicted with the arrival of the tone or play softer. These are a new family member. all things that are coming along “I had a baby in May,” explains we’ve spent together playing and bassist Chris Slorach. “We finished growing as musicians. But also, recording in December, and it our interests in music are really was mastered in mid-December. vast, and so, as Chris [Slorach] We didn’t really have a finished said, bludgeoning people over version of it until the first week of and over starts to lose its interJanuary. So, the earliest it would est after a while. We just wanted have come out even with that is it to be more of a dynamic listen May. We pushed it back to Octo- throughout.” ber just because our original release date for this record was the Although the album was recorded exact same date that my daughter last year, in many ways, it feels like was born. That didn’t work for me.” an eerily fitting record for 2020. Indeed, as the band gets older, because of the amount of time family has become a bigger pri- “It’s got a mood to it that is very ority. In addition to these big life fitting for a global crisis,” Edkins changes, METZ have embraced says. “Reflecting on your life and some new directions sonical- reflecting on the life you lead, it’s ly. Their previous work felt like a very much about that. The tenblistering punch to the face. Atlas sion within is something that a lot Vending has those types of tracks, of people are going to be able but it also explores some more to relate to right now because melodic directions. everyone is dealing with this new

reality. Having to change a lot of the ways they live and the outlook on life. So yeah, I definitely think that’s kind of tied in with it. But not intentionally! Who could anticipate this clusterfuck?"

The members of METZ now face a world many parents find themselves living in, suddenly having to juggle childcare and teaching responsibilities alongside full-time jobs. And for a group known for their intense live shows, not being able to tour affects more than just the business aspects of their band. It hits emotionally as well.

“It makes you realize how much you depended on that as a source of joy and a source of release,” Edkins says. “You’re like, ‘Whoa, something’s missing; oh yeah, it’s that thing I did 200 times a year with all these people all over the world.” And, on an emotional level, I absolutely am feeling that void.”

Drummer Hayden Menziesby explains that when touring becomes a part of your identity, having that part of your career yanked out from under you can feel devastating.

“To devote this much of your life towards something and be privileged enough to be able to share it with people, you can’t help but have it form some sort of identity for you in terms of how you identify yourself,” he says. “So, when there’s a large chunk of that that’s removed it’s a head trip. There are a few positives, where it’s maybe a mental check-in to slow things down for a second. But, the vast majority has been an uphill battle, to not be able to express your identity the way that it seems to have been in the past decade or more.”

Edkins, however, is trying to stay optimistic and is thankful for the time he gets to spend with his family.

“The only thing I can do is remind myself that I’m getting time with my kid and my wife,” he says. “That I wouldn’t have been able to have that time. So, [I’m] just trying to stay focused on the positive parts of this.” �� �� ��