It's Metric if they were a 90s trip-hop band playing in a dimly lit jazz lounge.
A sophisticated, metropolitan melancholy that feels like a quiet conversation in a dark room.
Recorded in 2001 but shelved for six years due to label complications, Grow Up and Blow Away serves as Metric's 'lost' debut. While the band eventually rose to fame with the guitar-driven synth-pop of Old World Underground, this earlier session reveals a radically different sonic identity heavily influenced by trip-hop, downtempo, and jazz. Produced largely by Jimmy Shaw, the album features prominent use of upright bass, programmed drum loops, and Rhodes piano, creating a smoky, atmospheric texture that stands in stark contrast to the high-energy dance-rock of their subsequent catalog. The delay in its release turned the album into a cult artifact among fans, eventually seeing the light of day in 2007 via Last Gang Records. It captures a formative moment where the band was experimenting with art-pop structures and electronic textures before streamlining their sound for the indie rock mainstream. Critics often highlight its sophisticated arrangements and Haines' intimate vocal performance as a high-water mark for the band's early creativity.
Put this on for
Rain streaking the window of a half-empty streetcarMidnight tea while the rest of the apartment sleepsHeadphones on in a dusty used bookstore basementThat specific quiet after a party ends too earlyWatching the city lights blur through a taxi windowSunday morning fog rolling over the parkWriting in a journal until the ink runs dry
Moments worth waiting for
The way the upright bass line on the title track anchors Emily Haines' airy vocals in a smoky jazz-club atmosphere.
The sudden shift into a glitchy, rhythmic pulse during the bridge of Soft Rock Star.
The skeletal, haunting piano melody that opens London Halflife, capturing a sense of profound urban isolation.
Sounds like
2001s production with a 2000s soul
Sits beside
Dummy - Portishead, Moon Safari - Air, Simple Things - Zero 7, Becoming X - Sneaker Pimps
Lyrical territory
self_examination, nostalgia, existential
03Deviation
Grow Up and Blow Away · vs · Metric
Artist
This Album
Low Energy
Energy · ↓ −43% less than usual
On this album, low energy sits about 43% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
