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In 1998, songwriting & production duo Emily Haines & Jimmy Shaw formed what would become Metric and left Toronto for NYC in search of like-minded artists. In 2001/2002, they were joined by drummer Joules Scott Key & bassist Joshua Winstead, and found themselves at the center of the city’s burgeoning alt-rock scene alongside bands like LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, TV On the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol and more. Unlike their peers, Metric resisted major label offers, releasing albums that pushed boundaries on their own terms.

Metric’s relentless pursuit of timeless songwriting and fiercely independent ethos have cemented their place as one of the most essential and ahead-of-the-curve bands of the last two decades. By constantly upping themselves across nine unpredictable and adventurous studio albums, the trailblazing Toronto outfit founded by Emily Haines & Jimmy Shaw is proof that you can amass an untouchable catalog without signing to a major label or changing your lineup. Their latest LP, Formentera II, out October 13 via their label MMI & Thirty Tigers, is a testament to their singular purpose. It stands among their best and most genre-defying work and closes the 18-song cycle started by 2022’s critically acclaimed Formentera

America quickly became like a second home for Sweden’s The Royal Concept. In fact, their stateside arrival has been quite a long time in the making for vocalist David Larson. ”When I was a kid, I used to say, ‘The first time I go to America will be because of music!’,” he smiles. “Low and behold, that’s exactly how and why it happened.”

In 2012, that anxiously-awaited dream came true shortly after the quartet—Larson, Filip Bekic [guitar], Magnus Robert [bass], and Frans Povel [drums]—topped HypeMachine with not one but two songs, “D-D-Dance” and “Gimme Twice”. A myriad of labels clamored to sign them over the course of the next month, but LAVA proved the perfect fit. The band proceeded to hit U.S. soil for the first time alongside everybody from Imagine Dragons and Alex Clare to Atlas Genius, further generating buzz and developing a fervent following.

When they returned to Sweden in early 2013, they garnered all sorts of new inspirations and experiences to cull from as they worked on what would eventually become their 2013 offering the Royal EP [LAVA/Republic Records]. By happenstance, a track entitled “World On Fire” leaked and quickly became a fan favorite. Merging sizzling synths, dynamic guitars, and a devilishly danceable hook, the song further fueled their own fire.

In 2013, the band released the single "On Our Way", and announced the title of their debut album, Goldrushed, which was released in Sweden on September 11, 2013. In addition the band also released an exclusive song on Spotify, "27 Forever". The band also did several covers of songs such as "Cecilia" by Linnea Hendrickson and also "Simply Irresistible" by Robert Palmer for E!'s Live From the Red Carpet. On April 2014, the band announced the release date (May 7, 2014) of their debut album "Goldrushed" in Japan, which features five bonus tracks (Damn, Naked & Dumb, Gimme Twice, Knocked Up, and Someday). "On Our Way" is one of the songs featured in EA Sports's football game FIFA 14. It was also covered by the cast of Glee in the Season 5 episode "The End of Twerk" and was also used several episodes of MTV series Big Tips Texas and Generation Cryo.

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