u/Repulsive_Chard_3652

Hey Tori Amos fans!

I made a post in here the other day, saying I was brand new and looking for three albums from different eras to give me an entry point to her range.

Based on all the comments, and my personal interests, I settled on Choirgirl, Night of the Hunters, and In Times of Dragons.

I had a lot of people saying they'd love to hear updates from a brand new fan, because y'all have been listening to her for 20 or so years - and I get that, as a Tool fan since 2001!!

I'll probably end up making more posts here about my journey, as I can tell this is going to be a journey for me. If you are reading to this point, I have one request if you comment: I would kindly ask for no "you should" comments, encouraging me to listen to various albums, focus on lyrics, check out live versions, listen to interviews, etc - I am not in the phase of wanting to branch out or go deeper at this point. That point may come, and I may ask for your advice, but right now I have decided how I will enter this journey, and would like to not be pressured to change it :) Thank you!

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Little background: I was a kid/teen during Tori's heyday, and I know I had one of her albums burned on a CD. I think it was Little Earthquakes because, looking at the track lists of her 90s albums, I recognize a lot of the song names on that album. Whichever album it was, I guess I didn't really like it, because I forgot about it and never got into her. But recently, the public radio station I listen to has been playing Stronger Together, and I was finding myself enjoying the song more and more, every time it came on. I eventually said, well shit, maybe I should check her out! And that's why I came here and made a thread asking for 3 albums. :)

So, how's it going, you ask? I first played Choirgirl - it was nice, enjoyable, but I didn't feel the need to listen again right away. So I put on Dragons.

I listened to Dragons. I listened to Dragons. It ended. I needed to listen to it again. So I did. I listened to Dragons 3 times and then I tried to listen to Choirgirl again. It still didn't resonate. I went back to Dragons. I keep getting Dragons songs stuck in my head. It has only been 48 hours since the first listen and I'm currently on 23 Peaks, ending the album now for I think the 5th or maybe even 6th time?

I've listened to Choirgirl 3 times so far, and it's not at all that I dislike it, but I think Dragons is what I need, at least right now. I dare say I am obsessed. I have so many thoughts and feelings about these songs and this album.

My favourite songs are, in this order:
Song of Sorrow
Shush
St. Teresa
Veins

But there are no bad songs. Not even close.

One important thing to note about me and my interests here is that I've never in my entire life been a lyrics person. For 30 years, I never cared at all about lyrics. Never paid attention at all. Just fell in love with the music. I've changed somewhat in time, and now, when I'm really, really into a song or an album or an artist, I will eventually start looking up lyrics to songs and digging in. As I'm brand new to Tori, that has not happened yet, and will not happen for a while. So my reactions here are solely based on music. The lyrics at this point "do not exist" for me :D It's just the way I am. :) I am absolutely beyond impressed that someone in her 60s, especially who "has it all" according to societal expectations (rich, married for decades, has a family, lives where she wants to live, etc) is still writing such incredibly dark, emotional, moving music that truly hits my core. This is rare as fuck. There is something ethereal about her and her art. I feel similarly as to my favourite singer, Alanis Morissette, who put out one of her best albums in 2020, so late into her career, at a point where she too "has it all". I can, of course, only compare these two mildly, as they are very, very different musically, but they certainly are both from a particular era :)

Anyway. Someone asked for my track-by-track reaction to Dragons, and so I wrote down my thoughts during a listen-through of the album, and I'll share them here, if anyone would like to read them.

I have no idea what lies ahead for me on this journey - which albums will resonate, which maybe will not, if I will connect with Choirgirl later, if I will eventually listen to all 18 albums, if, if, if...

But I can say one thing: I have always been quite music-obsessed, and I spend a lot of time discovering music, listening to music, etc. And it has been a long time since I found myself feeling this way about an artist I'm just discovering.

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Shush - fucking gorgeous. Love the way her vocal melody frames the piano accompaniment, ebbing and flowing in and out of sync with it. Love the irregular/slightly unpredictable chord progression. Her voice is hauntingly stunning. Fucking love the bass kicking in in the second verse. So simple, but hits hard. ooh but then the bass line goes up into a higher register and it's so creepy, tingling my spine. Mmm and the toms in the percussion later on... everything just builds into a haunting stunner. The bridge with that high-register bass line, the piano melody, and her layered harmonies... it's like the darkest church service in my soul. Probably my favourite bit of the song right there.

In Times of Dragons - mmm that yummy, gritty bass line right off the bat... the churning 16th notes in the percussion... painting some kind of train-like imagery... and I love the vamping of that part, before heading to a very light, dream-like chorus. This is the first time on the album we hear her sing in this cloud-ish way. It's like we got out of that train-like vamping repetition and escaped into her dreams... but then we sink back down into that churn... My favourite bits of this song are the bass and the keys in the verses, and the transitions in and out of the choruses - along with her vocal style in the choruses <3 It's seamless.

Provincetown - it might be one of the more forgettable tracks for me right now, but that's not to say it's not nice. It's just not as amazing as many others! I like the transition and the bassline that comes with it around 1 minute in. The harpsichord is very nice here, too. This is one of the few songs that does kind of remind me of Alanis, albeit in a rather distant way. It also sounds the most like what I think of when I hear the name Tori Amos.

St. Teresa - this is one of my favourite songs. This song goes straight to the bones. The riffs in the opener and first verse... the tonality of her voice... this song is an entire atmosphere you can simply get carried away in. I love the descending chords that make up the chorus - it's abnormal and slightly unsettling. But then the post-chorus is pretty. This song reminds me of both Placebo and especially Portishead, which is a very, very positive thing. That tiny little guitar part that just hovers over your head almost constantly also adds to the atmosphere... like you are drifting along in this atmosphere, but there is something hovering over you, reminding you that you are never free... but then it opens up in the bridge, giving you hope, making you feel like you may be freed... but then you descend right back down with those descending piano chords in the chorus. Fuck. I LOVE this song. This song is one of those times when you're like wait that was 6 minutes long? How? I want more.

Gasoline Girls - now is a span of several songs I'm not quite as into, but they are still nice. I really love how that bass line comes in hard, but then is counterbalanced by this super light and sweet piano line... and then the transition to the chorus, well, the chorus is just very nice. I have similar feelings to this song as to Provincetown, but I like this one more. It is quirkier, between the piano line and the bass line. It's a bit jolty, feels disjointed and like we're meant to feel a bit toss about, unsettled or unstable even, before going back into a very pretty chorus each time. The verses make me feel like we're swaying or swinging like the pendulum on a clock that is off-kilter.

Ode to Minnesota - honestly, I think I could love this one if it was longer. Her vocal melody and piano melody do again what she did in the first song, going in and out of sync with each other, and I really enjoy that. It speaks to her skill and talent as a pianist to be able to write like that. This song is very pretty and simply ends way too soon.

Fanny Faudrey - this is super duper cute, but I am not quite sure how I feel about it. I think this one I will have to see in time how it ends up resonating with me. I think I like it, but I also somehow find it out of place. I somehow want it to be longer and also think it's too long. I'm inclined to think I will like this more in time, though. I think I'm unsure about the kinda hillbilly style of music, but her take on it is very interesting and I love how her voice works here.

Veins - I think I slept on this one the first two listens. It's now resonating a lot. Back to that dark and haunting atmosphere, but this time with the creepy synths hovering over the top and again serving up some Portishead vibes. I absolutely love the falling bass line in the prechorus... and empty hollowness behind it. Just the falling bass, the creepy synths, and her magical voice... before sliding into yet another gorgeous chorus. So far, this would have to be my second favourite song after St. Teresa. Her harmonies are also super interesting in the chorus - non-traditional and weird but yet still pretty.

Strawberry Moon - this one already stood out to me on first listen, and by third I'm totally in love. The way we enter this song is so strange and I adore it. I love the tonality of her vocals here, and how she works them with this light, airy, almost sweet song that still has a tinge of darkness over it. It might be the most basic, simple song on the album that I actually just love. It's a lot less experimental, non-traditional, weird, or risky than the others I love... but somehow it just stays with me. I get swept away with the atmosphere of this one, and that crooning "strawberry mooooooooooooooooooooon..." that keeps coming back and carrying us across the skies... and freaking ending on a minor chord... oof... girl.

Song of Sorrow - a whopping standout. Totally obsessed with this one. The strings. That heart-wrenching, syncopated piano riff. The syncopated, devastated vocal melody... and then fucking hell that GORGEOUS CHORUS WHAT?? How does she keep doing this? How does she compose these fucking atrociously fucked up verses that make you feel like everything is dying and all is wrong, but then seamlessly take you into the most gorgeous chorus? And back? I get to the chorus and I never want to leave this place... but then she takes us back into the darkness and I love it... THAT PIANO RIFF. I'm dying while listening to this, but her chorus saves us every time. Another real favourite. Way up there.

Flood - that string intro... leading into the piano... feels like we're about to see an epic film... James Bond, Conchita Wurst vibes... I absolutely adore her voice here. the range, the control, and the quality she chooses... this is probably the most purely beautiful song on the album, with it of course still having a slight darkness to it, and the verses having a strange melody. It's a great song, but has the misfortune of following Song of Sorrow, which is not fair to anyone ;) But her voice is top, top, top here. Absolute love.

Pyrite - such a cool start, with the funky bass line, the straight drum rhythm, and the siren-y "Pyyyyyrite" shouts over the top. The drums, bass, piano, and synths all feel like they are in entirely different worlds from each other, yet they somehow find each other so nicely here. This is a bizarre meeting of styles, and I really enjoy it.

Tempest - and now we head into a very powerful set of songs to close out the album... kind of feel like each of the next songs is just a little bit better than the previous. I just love the piano that starts this song off, and I find the chorus is super cool. But that constantly-driving piano part is what makes this song so strong. Even when it softens for the verses, it's still pushing everything forward. This song feels like I'm being carried toward the end - end of what, I'm not sure. End of the story? I can tell this is a concept album, even though I have not checked the lyrics at all. I don't know if all her albums are, but this definitely is. And this song is definitely carrying us toward an end of some sort. Epic-tragic-feeling song.

Angelshark - the song name feels so cringe, but the song is anything but. This song feels like an underwater heartbeat, or like we're on some choppy water in the sea. I love how the song builds. The percussion and bass really carry this song, with the piano merely providing some decoration. Love that a song that's 3:47 feels very "short" on her album :) Short and sweet. Beautiful song.

Blue Lotus - so many subtleties here... the gentle percussion... the gentle guitar and piano... and slight bass adorning the background... and then we transition into this harpsichord chorus. It's another strange song that is just so interesting and nice. The verses are so dark, subdued, yet serene... and the choruses contrast that with the sheer choice in instrumentation. Nothing really changes in the percussion/bass/guitar/piano, but what the harpsichord does along with her vocals just makes the chorus sound so much more optimistic. But the third verse is the most stunning with the harmonies... and then the build to the bridge give me goosebumps. The outro makes me feel so full of hope or freedom.

Stronger Together - well, this is the song that is the reason I'm here to begin with. The public radio station I listen to has been playing this song, and I just really liked it, so I started to wonder if I'd been sleeping on Tori Amos. And it turns out I have hahaha It's a bit harder to react to this song because I've heard it so many times already, but it's gorgeous. I love it. Her voice here is again so cool, and I find the choruses so powerful. The harmonies are unworldly. A perfect single for the radio, but still with loads of substance.

23 Peaks - ah, now the water/sea/waves motif comes back in a very direct way, which makes me feel more confident that the vibes I had in previous songs were intended :) very cool intro/lead-in to the song... the scene is set and I'm ready. The repetitions and the whispers really create an atmosphere here... we are in the depths. this truly is the end, and this song feels like drowning in the most beautiful way there is. The emotion in her voice makes me feel like I'm going to cry. I have not looked up the lyrics to any of these songs, but I can feel the loss from her voice. The barrenness of this song is horrible and stunning - nothing is really happening here and it just completely encompasses you, until the strong organ chords come in at 6:00 - the church sounds, which somehow feels like death here.

I started doing yoga in February 2025 - the motivation was anxiety and wanting a way to relax a bit, and then I discovered that it was also a very good workout. In January, I started to attend classes instead of just doing it at home, and this way I've started to connect more with the philosophy and treat it as an actual practice.

I now do a vinyasa class and also a 4beat class most weeks, plus some at-home stuff a few evenings a week. I aim to do yoga every single day, but admit I've missed ~10 days so far this year ;)

Today I decided it was time to get a proper yoga mat - a cork one instead of foam - and while at the shop, I decided to pick up some handmade incense. I'd never bought incense before, let alone used it. It's something I'd noted the instructors using at the end of practices in classes during shavasana - I liked the smell and it was inexpensive, so I bought some (natural, handmade, Indian) today.

This evening, I prepared for my practice. I lit the incense, I laid out my new cork mat, and I chose a very relaxing, soothing video.

I suddenly realized that my life-long love for candles is over. Incense is the way. It is cheaper, it is a lot more natural, there is virtually zero waste, and the smell is significantly more soothing. I instantly decided that next winter, I will burn the rest of my scented candles and then will be done. I've battled with the waste of candles for a long time - I love the light and the smell, but the packaging is neither recyclable nor biodegradable. Such a waste. Turns out, incense is the way.

Then, at the end of today's practice, for the first time ever, I did a proper and real meditation. I've tried so many times, but today was the first time I fully left my brain. I think the incense was an influence, but regardless I am so proud of myself. And I also feel amazing and think I am going to have an incredible sleep tonight.

I am so grateful for this practice and I just get deeper and deeper into it, and my love for it grows so much stronger.

Namaste <3

Update: I had an incredible sleep, and I almost lucid dreamt for the first time! I was aware I was dreaming, but didn't control what happened. Very surreal experience! But I am so well-rested today and in a great mood!!!

I started doing yoga a bit over a year ago - the motivation was anxiety and wanting a way to relax a bit, and then I discovered that it was also a very good workout. In January, I started to attend classes instead of just doing it at home, and this way I started to connect more with the philosophy and treat it as an actual practice.

Today I decided it was time to get a proper yoga mat - a cork one instead of foam - and while at the shop, I decided to pick up some handmade Indian incense. I'd never bought incense before, let alone used it. It's something I've noted the instructors using at the end of practices in classes, I liked the smell, it was inexpensive, and so I bought some today.

This evening, I prepared for my practice. I lit the incense, I laid out my new cork mat, and I chose a very relaxing, soothing video.

The first "achievement" was suddenly realizing that my life-long love for candles is over. Incense is the way. It is cheaper, it is a lot more natural, there is virtually zero waste, and the smell is significantly more soothing. I instantly decided that next winter, I will burn the rest of my scented candles and then will be done. I've battled with the waste of candles for a long time - I love the light and the smell, but the packaging is neither recyclable nor biodegradable. Such a waste. Turns out, incense is the way.

The second achievement I think was tied to the first - for the first time ever, I had a proper and real meditation. I've tried so many times, but today was the first time I fully left my brain. I think the incense was an influence, but regardless I am so proud of myself. And I also feel amazing and think I am going to have an incredible sleep tonight.

Edit! I've already settled on From the Choirgirl Hotel as a my 90s-era starter, and In the Times of Dragons as my modern-era starter!

I just need one more choice, preferably something from the 00s or 10s, or something very different from the two I've already settled on!

PS: I am already a few tracks into Choirgirl and WTF WHERE WAS THIS MY WHOLE LIFE. I'm gonna make a post once all three album are decided and I've listened to all of them a few times!! Thanks so much for the recs so far!!!

Edit 2: chronological is absolutely not going to happen lol - if I tried that, I would give up very fast.

Hey everyone,

I've known of Tori since her heyday, but I never really got into her. I've passively liked the songs I've known/heard, and one of my favourite things I've seen from her was when she sang live and acoustic together with Maynard James Keenan.

Recently her new single has been playing on public radio, and it's hitting me in a way that Tori never hit me before in the past. It's actually a combo - three 90s singer-pianists that I never really got into and now I suddenly want to really dig into - Tori, Fiona Apple, and Ben Folds.

The problem is especially with Tori, as she has a whopping 18 albums :D I am an album person, rather than a song or playlist person. And I am totally overwhelmed and don't know where to start!

So I was wondering if y'all wouldn't mind helping me out a bit - maybe if you could recommend 3 albums for me to start with? I think ideally it would be 3 albums that might represent 3 different eras of hers? :)

Alanis Morissette is my favourite singer of all time, and from what I understand Tori is in a similar "field", so I don't quite know how I let her pass me by, but I think she was too soft and gentle for me back then - and now, with time, I can start to appreciate what I hear from her.

Thanks so much! I'm excited!!!

I'm a phone-tech baby who has very, very little understanding of this stuff, and I was a Samsung Galaxy S-series devotee since 2015 - only ever used your default Google Android.

Spent about a year researching how to get tf off Google and finally got myself a second-hand Pixel 8 this weekend and installed Graphene.

I. Fucking. LOVE IT!

Oh my god. I thought it was going to be less functional, less user-friendly, etc than Google Android.

But it's absolutely perfect.

I feel so much freer. More control. Not having to sign in to Microsoft or Google every 5 seconds. Not getting 5 billion garbage notifications.

Getting the OS installed was a bit of a challenge for me, but once it was up and running, it's been smooth!

Only regret is that I waited so long to discover this option!

Spoiler: >!this is a real student I had in actual real life!<

Hi I need learn English but with any rules:

- no read

- no write

- no do homework

- do not like speak

- need teacher but no steady schedule

- teacher meet me when I want and where I want
cannot meet in same place every time

- teacher must speaks my native language very, very super, without my language speak my english will go down

- primary textbook is instagram - I bring instagram and teacher explain what English is in posts and reels

- cheap price - am rich, wealthy fashion designer and make clothes for prime minister, but pay money for language lesson = stupid

can u pliz help?

I've had some positive interest and responses to comments I've made about my simplistic approach to listening to music, and thought I'd share my approach in detail for anyone who may be interested and like to make some changes, or for others with different simplistic approaches who might like to compare and contrast!

I have been entirely off streaming and also using my phone for music for about half a year, and I also don't use bluetooth almost at all anymore. I listen to a lot of music, though, as I'm a huge music nerd and music is one of my absolute favourite things.

Problem: finding new music

Solution: public radio stations

I discovered last year that most radio stations have online versions. I found one I really like (www.thecurrent.org) and I stream it in my laptop browser. I have a nice sound system at home, so I plug the computer into the system and listen at home with ease. I love hearing music chosen by real people rather than an algorithm. There's no AI music for sure, and I also hear stuff no algorithm would ever choose for me. I also hear real people talk between songs, maybe some info about the song or the artist, maybe the DJ's thoughts, etc. One day the station did an hour-long homage to 6-7 and played only songs with 6 and 7 somewhere in the lyrics :D I love this kind of stuff and it's way more fun than any algorithm!

Problem: listening to music on the go

Solution: a DAP

A lot of people don't realize that DAPs (digital audio players - what people used to call mp3 players) still exist, and in great variety. I chose a very simple one, without Android and with a very basic and simple interface. It only plays music. It has an audio jack so I can plug headphones in and listen wired instead of using Bluetooth (benefits to that are better sound quality, no need to charge headphones, and headphones will last because I don't have to worry about when the battery dies one day). I load my own music files onto a micro SD card and then I only have the music I've hand-selected available. This creates attention and focus on music I'm interested in listening to. And when an album ends, it ends. I have to choose if I want to listen to something else. No more random shit continuing to play, no default background music, no more mindless passive "listening". I can create playlists, too, if I want, though I personally don't because I like albums.

Problem: choosing music at home

Solution: CDs

My home audio system has a CD tray, and I've built up a collection of ~60 CDs. When I'm at home and wish to choose what I listen to, I generally choose from my CDs. This is my favourite way to listen to music - I have to get up, choose an album, take out the case, look at the art, hold the disc in my hand, put it in, hit play... and when it finishes, I have to decide if I will listen to something else, and it's the whole process again. This truly connects me with what I'm listening to and grounds me in it.

Problem: where to get music in 2026

Solution: many options...

I go to concerts and buy CDs from the artists there - this supports them the most. I also know some cool second-hand music shops in my city and sometimes I go browse and pick up a couple. I'd say my collection is about 50:50 between merch from shows and second-hand.

For the digital files I put on my audio player, there are many options. One great one is Bandcamp, and also Soundcloud. It's possible to sail the seas if you're down with that, as well. I avoid any of the shit mega corporations, so no amazon/youtube/apple, etc, but some people choose those options for getting music.

Of course, vinyls are another option that many people enjoy - they're just a lot more expensive and a lot bigger/heavier.

The conclusion

- I love being off the apps and off my phone. I love how much simpler my music enjoyment is. I don't have to open my phone to access music and get distracted by 15 other things. I don't have to deal with apps glitching or crashing.

- I love being off tracking! That was the hardest part at first - I thought, how will I know what I've listened to?? What about Spotify wrapped?? I tried at first to find a way to track stuff at least on my DAP, but since there's no way to track with radio stations or CDs, I quickly gave up... and let me tell you: I do not miss it at all. The point of listening to music is my enjoyment; why did I ever care about seeing what I've listened to in the past? I don't care how many minutes I've listened to an artist, or how many total albums I've listened to, etc. It's just a marketing gimmick that means nothing.

- I love listening to music wired and in high quality. Music sounds so fucking good this way.

- I've discovered more awesome music from the public radio station than I did from the algorithm. I found my new favourite singer from the station - they played a song of hers last year, I looked her up, fell in love with all her music, and two months ago I went to her show, met her, got a pic with her, and bought her CDs at the merch table, which she then signed.

- I don't lose track of older artists I haven't been listening to for a while. With streaming apps, if I didn't listen to someone in 6 months, they'd often get lost/forgotten about. But with me controlling exactly what's in my collection, everything is always there, always visible.

- minus the radio station, I don't need internet or anything else to listen to music. Just electricity.

The new album release motivated me to do something I've never done before: listen through all their albums chronologically.

I've just started Fantasies, and honestly the change in sound is SO DRASTIC holy shit! Honestly, it's much more of a dramatic shift than between synthetica and pagans, which was not a super well-received by the fan base!

So, I'm curious how the fans who were already into the band during the live it out era felt when they first heard fantasies! Did people feel the band was selling out? Did they like the change?

Obviously fantasies was the album that put them on the map - it was my introduction to the band, as well. But it sure does sound a lot more polished and "pop"ped than the first three!

I know there are a million posts about this topic, but I just need to get it out somewhere! ;) My opinions may be "controversial", but I welcome discourse :D

For me, Romanticize the Dive is a welcome return after the rather disappointing Formentera II.

Pagans/Art of Doubt/Formentera are my favourite Metric albums (not a popular opinion, I know :D) and Formentera II was a bit of a letdown after that streak...

But I am really loving this new one. It has Fantasies vibes throughout, and I also hear some Synthetica, Pagans, and Art of Doubt at times - and it does carry over some of the dreampop of F2, but F2 was too far of a derivation and this feels a lot more just like Metric.

Idk how it will hold up over time - I'm not sure I'll come back to it as often as the three mentioned/my favourites, but it is very nice.

And the truth is, for me, Metric, has zero bad albums and zero bad songs. There's a reason they are one of my two favourite bands. I also like Formentera II, even if it's not the best ;)

I have tickets to see them in Utrecht this autumn, and I cannot wait to hear these songs live!!!

Here's my track-by-track breakdown (music/vibes only - no lyrical analysis):

Victim of Luck

I didn't care much for this song when it came out. I heard it a lot on public radio and it just didn't grab me. I found it kind of boring and unoriginal. But as the opening track to the album, I'm finding I quite like it! It's cute and fun :)

Wild Rut

I didn't care much for this one on first listen, but it's growing on me. It's quite pretty, and it feels very Fantasies-esque! Just very classic Metric stuff here. Love that bass line in the verses! I also dig the drums, the synths, and the piano in this one. Musically it's one of the most interesting songs on the album :)

Time is a Bomb

Wowwwww I fucking looooove this one!!! It gives Doomscroller vibes... and some of my favourite parts of Art of Doubt... I fucking love when Metric gets dark... and I love their ability to swing between the dark and heavy to the light and fun/cute. I didn't love the shift on first listen - I wanted the song to stay in the darkness, but I'm growing to appreciate the shift! Can't help but hear the lyrics on this one, and I really like what she's doing with the "I am always up" and "I am always down" - this is a pair of expressions in English I've often thought about in regards to how interesting they are and how they can be used :) But musically, this is definitely one of my top, top songs on the album. Very memorable, totally stands out <3

Crush Forever

This is a very, very cute one. Got that dreampoppy vibe over a heavily percussive foundation... this song gives me Pagans vibes, which I consider a good thing because I love Pagans ;) Very fun, very poppy... just get lost in this one! Only criticism is I don't care much about what Emily is doing here. And that's ok - she's not the band ;) Musically the song is really good and I really enjoy it. But Emily definitely gets lost in the sea of sonic waves.

Tremolo

is super fun!!! Can't wait to dance to this one live! It's just so chill... love the rhythm, very sexy! I love Emily's voice in this lower range, too - I sometimes wish she wouldn't try to sing so high, as she can't hit those notes and needs a lot of filters and effects to make it sound good... when she sings like she does on this song, it just works a lot more naturally, and it's so beautiful. This song also feels like they worked in the dreampop but again in a way that meshes well with a classic Metric sound. This was the first song to stand out to me on first listen. It's just very, very nice.

Moral Compass

Another one like Wild Rut - didn't like it much on first listen, but it is growing on me. It is, however, probably one of the more forgettable tracks for me at this point. It's pretty and nice, definitely gives me some Synthetica vibes, I like it. But it's not a stand-out.

As if You're Here

Holy hell, this is cute and fun :) But maybe also one of the more forgettable songs for me. Maybe my least favourite song on the album, but it's still nice. They definitely never have any skips!

Loyal

Ok, so this track takes my most frustrating feelings and opinions... because the music is so good. I love that synth bass in the beginning, then the guitar riff... it's all so nice, such a beautiful tone set. But then Emily starts singing... and idk if she is singing out of her range or what is going on here, but the production is fucking atrocious. Her voice is soooo overly edited and it almost sounds robotic. I hate how her voice hates here so much and it ruins what could've been a top favourite song on the album. It's fine in the chorus, since there's a ton going on there and everything is kinda overproduced there. But the verses are almost unlistenable for me... and it's such a pity because I love this like space feeling of this song, like you're floating through space... it could be such a great song, but the production on Emily's voice is just so bad... :(

Antigravity

Yes, yes, YES!!! Another top favourite! This song goes harrrrdddd. That driving beat, Emily's voice and melody... the song has the Metric Quirk that I love so much... the synths... the verses have the Fantasies/Synthetica vibe, but then the choruses and bridge take me to Art of Doubt... which ughhhh fucking amazing! Idk this might be my favourite song on the album... I cannot fucking wait to dance to this live in the autumn!!!

Clouds to Break

This is too pretty. I used to not really get into their slow/pretty closing songs, but lately I've been starting to really appreciate them. This song is gorgeous.

Leave You on a High

This might be my favourite Metric closing track ever. This is so nice. I love the vibe so much. The chorus is just so fucking lovely. And I love that they literally are closing the album on a high <3 This is a stunning song, definitely upper half of the album.

In summary, my favourites are Antigravity, Time is a Bomb, and Tremolo. Also really love Leave You on a High, and Crush Forever. Least favourite is As if you were Here. I'm super happy with what we got on this outing and I cannot wait to see them live!