On Friday, April 12th, METZ will release Up On Gravity Hill, their first new album in four years, worldwide on Sub Pop and in Canada on Dine Alone. Today, the band is sharing an official video for the album highlight “Superior Mirage,” directed by John Andrews.
 
METZ frontman Alex Edkins shares this of the song, “It’s definitely new territory for us, and I really love the sounds we were able to achieve. We blended a Linn Drum with some homemade samples and made this ad-hoc junkyard drum sound that propels the song along. We really tried to make the backbeat the defining trait of the song. The lift on the chorus is pretty huge, too. We wanted the wall of guitars to knock you sideways.”
 
Up On Gravity Hill was engineered by Seth Manchester (Mdou Moctar, Lingua Ignota, Battles, The Body) and features guest performances from Amber Webber of Black Mountain and composer/string arranger Owen Pallett.
 
METZ, a band once known for blowing out eardrums with songs of joyous rage, have, over their past few records, begun exploring ways to turn abrasiveness into atmospherics, the evolution of their sound not only a reflection of the maturing of the band themselves but also of a changed world that demands nuance and compassion to comprehend and to survive. This is so on their latest effort, Up On Gravity Hill, which finds the band continuing to bend the raw power of rock music to its most delicate, intricate ends. Delivering a deep, detailed, and unyieldingly personal collection of songs that are fused together to form not only METZ’s most powerful record to date but also their most beautiful.
 
As previously announced, METZ has a headlining international tour scheduled supporting Up On Gravity Hill, with dates in North America from April 17th to May 17th and a run of UK and EU dates in the fall from November 3rd through November 29th. The band also has a series of UK and EU festival performances in August, including stops at The Green Man Festival in the UK, La Route Du Rock and Cabaret Vert Festival in France, and the Canela Party in Spain. See below for a full list of shows.

North America
Fri. Apr. 12 - Toronto, ON - Sonic Boom Records - FREE In-Store Performance at 6pm
Wed. Apr. 17 - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre $
Thurs. Apr. 18 - Troy, NY - No Fun $
Fri. Apr. 19 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom $
Sat. Apr. 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts $ *
Sun. Apr. 21 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar $
Tue. Apr. 23 -  Atlanta, GA - The Earl $
Thu. Apr. 24 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn $
Fri. Apr. 25 - Fayetteville, AR - George’s Majestic Lounge  $
Sat. Apr. 26 - Austin, TX - The Parish (Austin Psych Fest) $
Sun. Apr. 27 - Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann Hall $
Mon. Apr. 29 - Sante Fe, NM - Meow Wolf $
Tues. Apr. 30 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar $
Wed. - May 01 -  San Diego, CA - The Casbah $
Tue. May 02 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720 $
Wed. May 03 - San Jose, CA - The Ritz $
Thu. May 04 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel $
Mon. May 06 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom $
Tue. May 07 - Seattle, WA - Neumos $
Fri. May 10 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club $
Sat. May 11 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge $
Thu. May 16 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount $
Sat. May 17 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall $
 
$ w/ Gouge Away
* w/ Rid of Me

UK/EU
Thu. Aug. 15 - Crickhowell, UK - Green Man Festival
Fri. Aug. 16 - St Malo, FR La Route Du Rock
Sat. Aug. 17 -  Charleville-Mezières, FR - Cabaret Vert Festival
Fri. Aug. 23 - Malaga, ES - Canela Party
Sat. Nov. 02 - Rennes, FR – L’Antipode
Sun. Nov. 03 - La Rochelle, FR - La Sirène
Mon. Nov. 04 - Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie
Tue. Nov. 05 - Clermont-Ferrand, FR - La Coopérative de Mai
Wed. Nov. 06 - Lyon, FR - Le Transbordeur
Thu. Nov. 07 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F
Sat. Nov. 09 - Prague, CZ - Futurum
Sun. Nov. 10 - Budapest, HU - Turbina
Tue. Nov. 12 - Krakow, PL - Klub Zascianek
Wed. Nov. 13 - Warsaw, PL - Klub Hydrozagadka
Sat. Nov. 16 - Berlin, DE - Hole44
Mon. Nov. 18 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen
Tue. Nov. 19 - Hamburg, DE - Hafenklang
Wed. Nov. 20 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
Thu. Nov. 21 - Groningen, NL - Vera
Fri. Nov. 22- Antwerp, BE - Trix
Sat. Nov. 23 - Lille, FR - L’Aéronef
Mon. Nov. 25 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds %
Tue. Nov. 26 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club %
Wed. Nov. 27 - Birkenhead, UK - Future Yard %
Thu. Nov. 28 - Bristol, UK - Strange Brew %
Fri. Nov. 29 - London, UK - Village Underground %
 
% THE NONE

Up On Gravity Hill is available to preorder now on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers will receive the Loser Edition on Clear w/ Red Splatter vinyl. LP orders from independent retail stores & Mega Mart 2 in the UK and Europe will receive the Loser Edition on Opaque Yellow vinyl. A half-red/half-black LP from Dine Alone is also available in Canada. All three vinyl colors can also be purchased at the band’s live shows. All colored vinyl versions are available while stock lasts!

METZ
Up On Gravity Hill
 
Tracklisting:
1. No Reservation / Love Comes Crashing
2. Glass Eye
3. Entwined (Street Light Buzz)
4. 99
5. Superior Mirage
6. Wound Tight
7. Never Still Again
8. Light Your Way Home