This is the song that introduced me to the Canadian band Metric. It’s sounds as fresh today as it did back in 2008.

I love the way it starts off as a ballad and builds up gradually before it’s literally kicked into life in the middle by a kick drum that sounds, in the words of singer Emily Haines, “like the drums are being played in a cathedral in hell.”

Little did I know the album it came from was already their fourth; I immediately went out to see them live at The Electric Ballroom in Camden and they didn’t disappoint.

After the show I was introduced to Emily at the Hawley Arms and found her to be a hugely impressive young woman, with a range of interests, including an active role in the social justice organisation Global Citizen, and the girls’ and women’s issues campaign #shedecides.

She’s the daughter of a Canadian poet (and jazz lyricist) and was born in New Delhi, where her mother founded a school for underprivileged children in India

Metric began life as a duo of Emily and her boyfriend of the time, guitarist Jimmy Shaw, called Mainstream; both are also members of the musical collective Broken Social Scene. 

Haines, who wrote this tune during a songwriting break in Argentina, later became good friends with Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, with Lou guest singing on a song called The Wanderlust on their album Synthetica. 

One of his last appearances came at Radio City Music Hall in 2012 where he and Haines duetted on Wanderlust and the Velvets’ song Pale Blue Eyes.