HM: The last show we played was in Los Angeles with Refused. We did a west coast US tour with them just as news was starting to break about the pandemic. The show was great, as was the whole tour, but it did have a strange mood to it as you could tell people were starting to get concerned, stressed, and anxious – not in a disinterested way, just pensively cautious.ĪJ: What are some of your favorite METZ songs to play live? HM: We have some tour plans that will be announced soon, but everything is somewhat up in the air at the moment with the state of the world. We’re very anxious to return to the stage when it’s safe.ĪJ: When and where was the last METZ show? What do you remember about it? Anything particularly interesting about your most recent live performance? HM: It’s difficult for me to pick a favorite. As cliche as it sounds, each song has its own role and they each serve different purposes on the record as a whole.ĪJ: Any METZ shows scheduled for 2021? Any plans for an upcoming tour in support of Atlas Vending? HM: We have some other stuff in the works. That’s all I can say.ĪJ: Any particular songs on the new album stand out as your personal favorites? and he and his amazing team did an incredible job making it happen while adhering to COVID limitations.ĪJ: Any other singles or videos being released before the release of the new album? Are you able to say? The video was shot in Detroit so we weren’t really a part of it other than fine tuning their treatment and seeing photos and rough cuts of their progress. It was directed by Tony Wolski at Former Co.

HM: Thanks! We love it too. The song evolved over time into something that kind of merged 2 different styles of songs together. It’s one of the examples on the record of songs that required a little more patience than we’re used to and we tried to revel in that rather than fight it. HM: I’m really happy with how the entire record turned out. The drums sound amazing to me too. They have weight to them but aren’t as washed out from to many distant room mics as some previous recordings. I don’t think we changed too much in terms of playing the songs in a studio setting, but every record is different and we try to be open to new things rather than sticking to a mold that may not suit every album. We certainly had fun doing it and I think the positive atmosphere helped create a natural flow when tracking takes.ĪJ: I love the new music video for the single “A Boat to Drown In.” Can you tell us a little about the song and process of making the video? HM: Atlas Vending was recorded in Pawtucket, Rhode Island last November at Machines with Magnets. It was co-produced by Ben Greenberg and it was engineered and mixed by Seth Manchester. We stayed at the studio for 2 weeks to track and mix the entire thing. It was a really enjoyable experience. It was our first time working with Ben and Seth and they were a pleasure to be around and helped curate a really fun inclusive environment for us to capture these songs. The fact that we were all living there under one roof (with the exception of Seth) really gave the whole process a collective focus on making the best record we could.ĪJ: Did you take a different approach or change anything about the way you had previously been playing when recording the new album? How do you feel about the way your drums turned out? AJ: Can you tell us a little about the new album, Atlas Vending? When and where was it recorded? When is it going to be released? How long did it take to record and what was the recording process like?

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