Listen: Metric unleashes single ‘Youth Without Youth’

Metric were right in that their first single “finally” get to utilize the omnipresent Gary Glitter “Rock and Roll” beat — it’ll have you saying “Hey!” to boot.

“Youth Without Youth” is the initial track to arrive from “Synthetica,” and is going on sale on May 1.

The band pushes crunchy, smarmy guitars way up front in the mix as a Muse-like synthy underbelly balances out Emily Haines’ penchant creepy-little-girl voice. The child-like front is appopriate for “Youth,” which explores what the band describes as a “slow sad story.” It tackles “the decaying social state through the eyes of a depraved child… into a teenager,” Haines explains in a song commentary, streaming after the track. It ends, predictably, with a bang and a whimper, both sonically and lyrically.

The song certainly has mass appeal, but a lot of instrumental space, too, with sparse verses and a non-traditional chorus. I don’t think I’ll grow out of it too soon.

“Synthetica” is due on June 12.

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