Toronto trio METZ shut things down (“on hiatus”) in 2024 after five LPs spread out over 12 years. When a band ends, some members may not know what’s next, but singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex Edkins smartly had Weird Nightmare in his back pocket. He recorded Weird Nightmare’s self-titled, lo-fi 2022 debut at home during the pandemic and now returns with Hoopla (Sub Pop).
Edkins keeps the catchy on Hoopla but blows out the sound; it’s full of irresistibly amped-up, hooky power pop (or maybe guitar pop if you don’t like that descriptor), with echoes of the Replacements, maybe a little Guided By Voices (Edkins is a fan) and, what do you know, METZ. Going out on an unstable limb of critical hyperbole, it’s doubtful any song this year can top the closing “Where I Belong”; soaring, noisy and full of angst (“Why the hell am I still on the road?/I got a girl and a son back at home”), its chorus is crazily memorable. It’s such a good tune that we’re underselling it—words failing a writer is a bad sign—but “Where I Belong” is the perfect capper to what’ll undoubtedly stand as one of 2026’s best records.
MAGNET’s Matt Hickey asked Edkins five perceptive questions about METZ’s end, Weird Nightmare’s beginnings and whether or not he celebrates after writing a great song.
What were the main reasons behind METZ going on hiatus?
Different goals and philosophies, both personal and professional. We felt it necessary to focus on other things.
What are your reflections on what you feel the band accomplished?
I’m incredibly proud of what we did together. I think METZ arrived at a time when rock music was pretty bloated and self-indulgent. Eight-plus members onstage was pretty common in 2012. I think we carved out a space and sound that was distinctly our own and can be heard in a lot of newer bands. That’s a real honor. Countless times I’ve had bands tell me that our records were the catalyst for picking up a guitar or starting a band—IDLES, for example—and that’s a beautiful thing. Getting to travel around the world and meet like-minded and passionate people has been a real gift and something I never could’ve anticipated or dreamt would happen when METZ started. I’m thankful for all of it.
You released the first Weird Nightmare LP in 2022. At the time, were you thinking you’d continue to record under that name whether METZ was still around or not?
The first Weird Nightmare LP was a reaction to the pandemic but also very necessary for me to step out of the box that I had created with METZ. We were more than 12 years deep in a cycle of relentless touring/recording/repeat that was becoming restrictive artistically and otherwise. The feeling of having no rules or preconceived notions of what Weird Nightmare was or could become was very freeing and exhilarating. I think I knew right away that I would continue down that road.
The debut was a collection of kind of lo-fi songs recorded during the pandemic, some that were written as far back as 2013. With METZ no longer a thing, was the aim to write a bunch of new songs and amp up the sound on Hoopla? Or is that just how it turned out?
The new album was written and recorded before METZ decided to go on hiatus, so it wasn’t a reaction to that in any way. It was just me making the record I wanted to make at that specific point in time. There’s never a goal that’s more considered than that. I’m most happy when I’m in the process of making something, so that’s what I do.
When you write a song as good as “Where I Belong,” do you celebrate?
I admire people who can stop and celebrate the moment, but it’s not me. I think songwriting is about chasing a feeling. It’s addictive—you’re always trying to reach higher. There’s a momentary feeling of accomplishment, but it only lasts for a second. Then it’s on to the next.
See Weird Nightmare live.
