Interview: METZ Talks Polaris Prize, Metz II, & Canadian Punk Rock

By: Laura Beaulne-Stuebing –

T oronto-based punk trio METZ hit the Canadian music scene with their self-titled debut album in 2012, and carved out a successful space for themselves making noisy, abrasive and entirely impressive punk music. AlexEdkins, Chris Slorach and Hayden Menzies returned last year with the appropriately named METZ II and, like with METZ, are earning critical praise for their work and have once again made it onto the Polaris Prize long list.

They’re hitting the stage at Ottawa’s Bluesfest this week to play for what vocalist Edkins and drummer Menzies consider a hometown crew. We had a chat with Edkins about the new record, the Polaris Prize and what it means to play in a city they used to call home.

You worked with some of the same guys for the album—like Graham Walsh from Holy Fuck. Did anything change in how you went about making the record? 

I’d say it was actually quite different this time around. We had just finished basically two years of touring really heavy off the first record. When we came home we were super excited for new material, to add that to our set, because we’d been playing mostly just the first record and a couple seven inches.

So, very excited, but I think we were a bit burnt out. So when we initially started to write, we were kind of all in the room jamming things out and stuff. I think we just jumped into it too soon. So we stepped back, gave ourselves a break, and I started doing a lot of writing and demoing alone at home. That seemed to work. I’d bring a bit more constructed, or at least frameworks to the guys and we’d work on them that way. That was slightly different.

The first record was written from jamming together, so this was slightly different. The big thing as far as making the record would be Graham only mixed three songs on the first one, and he mixed the entire album this time around. So it’s got a bit more of his fingerprints on it, as far as the mix goes.

You’ve talked about outside pressures and outside expectations for the band, and that you basically ignored them and put out a record you wanted to make. How did you think METZ II would be received? Was the positive response expected? 

It’s always been unexpected, from day one. We figured we’d just continue what we were doing, and that’s what we did. I think we managed to make a record that we really love, but I think also shows some evolution and growth. And I think has a little more appeal as far as melody and hooks go. Then I think the response has been incredible, you know? Most of the time, people are going ‘I loved the first one but I like this one even more,’ and that definitely makes us feel great.

What was your reaction when you heard the news about the Polaris Prize long list?

It’s really flattering, you know. Yeah, like I said, it’s never our intention to try to please the critics. We’re really out there just to please ourselves and make music that is meaningful to us, and let’s us experiment…get that energy out there. For anyone, but also for critics, to tip their hat to it, or give it their stamp of approval. I think we’d be lying if we said we’re completely immune to that kind of thing, I don’t think that would be true. It’s always nice to have positive response.

METZ’s Polaris Prize-long-listed album, METZ II.

Have you guys talked about what you’d do with the prize if you won it?

God no. No no no, we’re not getting ahead of ourselves at all. It’s an amazing list and we’re happy just to be a part of it.

Were there albums that were overlooked for the long list?

Always. I think that’s part of the reason why it’s such a nice thing to be included. For every band that’s chosen I think there’s about 100 just as deserving that aren’t included for some reason or another. So, you know, a lot of it has to do with things that are out of your control. That question mark. I don’t know why. It’s just a lucky thing.

If you could pick a winner (aside from yourself), who’d it be? 

Yeah, I don’t know. I liked the Viet Cong record, I think it’s phenomenal. I think I’d choose them.

What do you make of the Canadian punk rock scene these days? How would you describe the genreright now?

I think it’s good, I think it’s always been good. I think Toronto is really, really healthy as far as new and cool bands. Everyone’s quite supportive of one another. It’s cool to be part of it. We’re not home very much, when we are, we’re out there checking out all the new bands and stuff. It’s pretty awesome.

Any one band, a couple bands come to mind?

I really like New Fries and Weaves are fantastic. There’s so many, but those two come to mind.

With the constant touring and crazy live shows – they’re awesome, really excellent stuff, each song athree-minute blast to the face of loud, frenetic guitars and frantic drumming – how do you keep the energy up?

It’s very, very exhausting, but it’s also exactly what we want to be doing. I think it’s one of those things where it’s just three people on stage that feel genuinely excited and privileged to be performing, and that excitement kind of comes out on stage. It can be really physically taxing; it’s never that bad.

The energy in the audience is pretty high and people are pretty pumped. 

Yeah, we love that. It’s sort of a cheesy rock and roll cliché, but it’s pretty true. If the crowd is dancing and singing and smiling, it’s definitely easy for us to do what we do.

What’s it like to play Ottawa, the city where you guys started playing together and formed before moving to Toronto? 

Yeah, it definitely feels like coming home. Hayden and I spent a big chunk of our life there, and were introducedto underground music there, so it was a massive influence on both of us. All of our family’s there, my wife’s family’s there, and my parents are still there. Hayden’s parents live close by. And for that reason it’s always a little intimidating and nerve-wracking to perform for people you know. It’s easier to go somewhere you know absolutely no one.

What do you like about playing big festivals like Bluesfest?

Sometimes it’s fun, and sometime it’s awful. It really does depend. It can be quite alienating if people are there to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and then they come across you. It’s probably not their cup of tea, and we understand that. It’s definitely fun, but it’s a change. It’s a big change from a punk rock show at a club. And of course, we get to check out all kinds of different music and that’s fun.