Following more than 15 years of heavy touring and six full-lengths of concussively crushing, but melodically-jolted punk tunes, Toronto, Ontario trio METZ have announced they’re heading on an indefinite hiatus by the end of the year.
The long-running outfit announced the decision today (October 10th), confirming in an Instagram post that their upcoming fall tour across Europe and the UK will be their last. Following those dates, the METZ members will “take time to focus on other endeavors and enjoy more time at home with our families.”
“For the last 15+ years, we’ve dedicated our lives to this band and have had the immense privilege and pleasure of touring the globe and seeing the world,” they wrote. “It has been nothing short of life-affirming. METZ has brought an immeasurable amount of joy to our lives and it’s our sincere hope it’s brought you some joy too. We are so grateful to all of you who’ve joined us along the way and have made this life a reality for the three of us.”
In their joint message, they expressed gratitude to fans, friends, and anyone who helped them along the way, adding that their collective journey had “always been about the love of music and the beautiful mess that would seemingly manifest when we turned the amps up.”
Formed in 2007, the band issued a handful of vinyl singles before linking up with Sub Pop Records to issue their 2012 self-titled debut album. The band’s sixth album, Up on Gravity Hill, was released earlier this year. While it still trafficked in the agitated aggressiveness of Nineties-style noise punk and frustration-soaked lyrics, the record also softened their overall aesthetic just slightly, with singer-guitarist Alex Edkins explaining to RANGE that the record found him “being more introspective about life, and the people that I love.”
“At its core, METZ is a crushing punk band,” he added. “You can hear that on this record, you just don’t hear it the entire time. We wanted [the album] to be this bigger experience than just [being] the crazy live band. I don’t know if I would call it softer, gentler, or more mature. It’s just where we are now.”
METZ’s final tour begins November 2nd in Rennes, France, and winds down November 29th at London, UK’s Village Underground. You’ll find the rest of the dates here.