METZ
II
SUB POP
6/10
After the success of their incendiary self-produced debut, Toronto’s post-punk trio METZ fielded offers from “big-name” producers who wanted to work on the band’s follow-up. Their response? An immediate no thanks—they would handle it themselves. The band’s sophomore LP, aptly named II, validates the band’s polite but prompt refusal. In terms of tracking tank-busting drums, mind-grating guitar riffs, and tremor-inducing bass lines that transport the listener to the middle of a sweaty mosh pit, METZ can handle that just fine, thank you very much. II sees them taking the meticulously arranged chaos of their debut and loosening the bolts a bit. It shows a growth in rawness and intensity (especially on album highlight “Spit You Out”), but not much else. This lack of second album ingenuity makes the whole enterprise a bit more exhausting than exhilarating. Even the guys on both their LP covers look tired.
