Metric Reveal ‘Synthetica’ Cover Art + Track Listing

Metric’s new disc 'Synthetica' is due out on June 12 and the band just revealed the mind-bending cover art for the upcoming release in addition to the finalized track listing.

The cover, seen here, was a work of art by Toronto-based photographer and designer Justin Broadbent, representing “an inverted window in an upside-down world.” Metric’s Emily Haine’s said the goal was to be thought-provoking and a bit disorienting, functioning as a bit of an optical illusion that one would have to focus on for a moment to truly discern what it is.

Haine’s talked about the band’s inspiration for the cover, saying, "We were very influenced by images from the Radical architecture movement of the 1960s, and Justin's representation of the natural world seen through a physically impossible window - or is it a stage? -  struck us immediately as the right cover for this album."

Artist Broadbent weighed in on his vision as well, explaining, "For the 'Synthetica' cover I tried to create a beautiful landscape that doesn't sit comfortably with the viewer. We are disoriented among the clouds, flipped in a room without walls. There is a synthetic perfection to the gold curtains. Like fresh lipstick, precious but temporary. Everything else is a mirror."

Metric will be releasing 'Synthetica' independently on their own label MMI. The sound has been described as a mix between futuristic and strong beats while maintaining an organic feel. The band also made the most of a very unique instrument on the new disc that they found on Craigslist of all places. Sounding like a synthesizer, the instrument is actually '60s organ played through a homemade pedal, which really set the tone for the record.

The first single, ‘Youth Without Youth’ is due out digitally on May 1 in North America. The full track listing for ‘Synthetica’ can be seen below.

‘Synthetica' Track Listing:
1. 'Artificial Nocturne'
2. 'Youth Without Youth'
3. 'Speed The Collapse'
4. 'Breathing Underwater'
5. 'Drums So Real'
6. 'Lost Kitten'
7. 'The Void'
8. 'Synthetica'
9. 'Clone'
10. 'The Wanderlust'
11. 'Nothing But Time'