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Apr 24, 2026Romanticize the Dive is yet another great Metric album, another stunning showcase of Haines' second-to-none vocals, and an example of how if a band plays with emotional and sonic imagination, indie rock doesn't have to sound overcooked and insipid when it is blown up to twice its size.
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Apr 23, 2026This isn’t them superficially cashing in on a new generation’s fascination with ‘indie sleaze’; it’s the sound of songwriting duo Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw bridging the gap between who they were then and who they are now. Sonically, they do that by leaning into the fundamentals.
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Apr 23, 2026Throughout, there are salient reminders that Metric, despite never quite breaking big commercially, are experts in writing a memorable tune.
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Apr 23, 2026Don’t call it a comeback, this is a reaffirmation record proving the synth-pop indie rockers are as vital as ever.
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Apr 24, 2026It’s a retrospective album, in the sense that Romanticize the Dive is built out of all the twists and turns that have led Metric to the present. It is not, however, merely a retread of the band’s previous work, but another milemarker on Metric’s road forward.
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May 4, 2026There’s nothing too revealing here, but the familiar, comforting touch they always offer is more than welcome.
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May 4, 2026Haines’ dynamic vocals often bail out the more inelegant lyrics. But it doesn’t help when her bandmates seem to be on autopilot, working with a distracting series of references to the band’s influences.
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UncutApr 24, 2026Here they come dressed in post-punk garb. The arena singalong "Wild Rut" mutates into a piece of motorik new wave; the toytown confections of "Leave You On A High" and "Loyal" both come wreathed in ice gothic synths and Peter Hook-style bass plunking. [Jun 2026, p.33]
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Record CollectorApr 23, 2026As If You're Here has a sunny, surging drive-time glint to it too, but a little too much of Romanticize... is all clinical chill and no thrill. [May 2026, p.103]