A synth-heavy pivot into retro-futurism. Shimmering electronics and 80s textures replace the band's usual guitar bite for a neon-lit, melancholic night out.
It's like Metric found a stash of 80s synths and decided to soundtrack a neon-lit midnight drive.
A sleek, neon-lit exploration of digital nostalgia and urban solitude.
Released in 2015, Pagans in Vegas represents Metric's most significant shift toward pure electronic music. Following the guitar-driven success of Synthetica, the band utilized a massive collection of vintage synthesizers to craft a record that leans heavily into new wave and synth-pop influences. Recorded primarily in Toronto and at James Shaw's studio in New York, the album was influenced by Shaw's interest in modular synthesis and the band's desire to explore a less 'rock' oriented sound. The record is notable for its 'Pagan Portal' app launch, an early experiment in direct-to-fan digital distribution. Critically, it was seen as a polarizing but brave departure, with AllMusic noting its 'retro-futuristic' charm. The album concludes with a two-part instrumental suite, 'The Face', which underscores the project's cinematic and atmospheric ambitions, distancing it from the radio-ready indie rock of their early 2000s output.
Put this on for
Neon signs flickering in the rearview mirror on a solo midnight driveHeadphones on while the city skyline blurs through a train windowLate-night coding session where the rhythm keeps the brain focusedEmpty dance floor at 2am when the lights are just starting to dimStaring at a pixelated sunset while thinking about old friendsWalking through a crowded terminal where everyone feels like an extraQuiet living room glow with only the router lights blinking
Moments worth waiting for
The relentless, pulsing synth arpeggio that drives Cascades for over five minutes without breaking
The bright, optimistic explosion of the chorus in The Shade that feels like a sudden burst of light
The transition into the purely instrumental, cinematic sprawl of The Face, Part II to close the record
Sounds like
2015s production with a 2010s soul
Sits beside
Voices - Phantogram, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming - M83, Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe, Mirror Traffic - Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Lyrical territory
nostalgia, social_commentary, self_examination
03Deviation
Pagans in Vegas · vs · Metric
Artist
This Album
Medium Energy
Energy · ↓ −17% less than usual
On this album, medium energy sits about 17% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
