Metric Unleash Glitchy, Robotic New Song ‘Cascades’

Toronto indie rock heroes Metric have released a bounding, wiry new cut, “Cascades,” the latest offering from their upcoming album, Pagans in Vegas, which arrives on September 18th.

In a statement accompanying the track on YouTube, the band called “Cascades” “the pounding heart of our new album,” adding, “As always, we encourage you to sing along with the robots.” To that end, “Cascades” boasts a melange of glitchy, elastic and whirring synthesizers that swirl around frontwoman Emily Haines’ vocals, which have been properly digitized, but not so much that the effect obscures a crucial underlying humanness.

“Cascades” arrives several weeks after “The Shade,” Pagans in Vegas‘ first single and Metric’s first new song since 2012’s Synthetica. That track also anchors a cassette EP that includes “Cascades” alongside album cuts “Too Bad, So Sad” and “Office Towers Escalate.” The EP, which is available to purchase now, comes in a variety of colors, with a limited number autographed by the band as well.

Pagans in Vegas is also available to pre-order both digitally and physically. Metric is teasing a “time capsule” package that will include Pagans in Vegas on cassette as well as various merchandise and exclusive content curated by the band; pre-orders for that edition will begin in early August. A complete track list for Pagans in Vegas is below.

Metric also recently announced a string of live dates opening for Imagine Dragons during their summer tour. The band will embark on their own headlining trek in support of Pagans in Vegas later this year.

Pagans in Vegas track list

1. “Lie Lie Lie”
2. “Fortunes”
3. “The Shade”
4. “Celebrate”
5. “Cascades”
6. “For Kicks”
7. “Too Bad, So Sad”
8. “Other Side”
9. “Blind Valentine”
10. “The Governess”
11. “The Face, Pt. I”
12. “The Face, Pt. II”
13. “Office Towers Escalate”