Metric + Rye Rye | Tracks

“Youth without Youth”
Metric

Emily Haines has a shaky understanding of games. “We played double Dutch with a hand grenade,” the Canadian sings through a devilish grin like a kung-fu schoolgirl in a Zack Snyder film. “We played hide and seek on the fire escape.” How exactly do exploding projectiles fit into jumping rope? How does one conceal oneself behind a metal grate? The mind wanders to such thoughts as there’s little else to engage it in this rigid glam duck-duck-goose step. Dull drums stomp over digitized guitars, following the platform bootprints of Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People,” which was a knockoff of Gary Glitter. “Youth without Youth” is just “Rock & Roll Pt. 2,847.” Metric always sounds so…measured. The quartet maddeningly nears excitement and always holds back. There are no more damning descriptions in rock than safe and nice. Not only do I not believe Haines has ever thrown a brick through a window, I’m not sure she’s played tag.