Metric Romanticize the Dive
Metric's Romanticize the Dive returns the band to a widescreen, synth-pop and power-pop fusion that critics say largely succeeds in marrying arena ambition with intimate songwriting. Across six professional reviews the record earned a 77.5/100 consensus score, and reviewers consistently point to Emily Haines's vocal cl
“Victim Of Luck” is the album’s best track for its huge hook and framing of the album’s central question.
Shared criticism is still limited across the current review sample.
Best for listeners looking for self-sufficiency and perseverance, starting with Victim Of Luck and Wild Rut.
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Full consensus notes
Metric's Romanticize the Dive returns the band to a widescreen, synth-pop and power-pop fusion that critics say largely succeeds in marrying arena ambition with intimate songwriting. Across six professional reviews the record earned a 77.5/100 consensus score, and reviewers consistently point to Emily Haines's vocal clarity and the album's melodic pop hooks as its strongest assets. Critics agree the record balances perseverance and retrospection while leaving room for the band's freedom to experiment.
Reviewers consistently single out “Victim Of Luck” as a defining opener and one of the best songs on Romanticize the Dive
While most critics framed the record as a confident, song-forward collection that rewards repeat listens, some reviews offered tempered praise about the band's willingness to revisit familiar territory rather than radically reinvent it. Taken together, the critical consensus suggests Romanticize the Dive is worth hearing for its standout tracks, Emily Haines's emotive delivery, and its blend of nostalgia and forward motion — a return to form that still leaves space for growth.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Victim Of Luck
2 mentions
"On that song, “Victim of Luck,” Haines wonders whether the title applies to her."— Paste Magazine
Wild Rut
1 mention
"the latter is more of a downer with Haines sounding like heartache personified"— AllMusic
Time Is A Bomb
1 mention
"Time is a Bomb" is a powerful rocker that's somehow both insistent and intimate"— AllMusic
the stuttering bump of the bass drum steers “Tremolo” through iridescent shafts of reverberating guitar
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Victim Of Luck
Wild Rut
Time Is A Bomb
Crush Forever
Tremolo
Moral Compass
As If You're Here
Loyal
Antigravity
Clouds To Break
Leave You On A High
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 6 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Metric have written an album that rewards repeat listens, and on Romanticize the Dive the best songs—“Victim Of Luck” and “Leave You On A High”—crack open the record’s emotional logic with big hooks and soaring melodies. Eric R. Danton’s tone stays measured and appreciative, noting a band that balances reflective murmur and powerful choruses while still daring to experiment. He singles out the opening thrust of “Victim Of Luck” and the closing uplift of “Leave You On A High” as exemplars of the album’s blend of perseverance and optimism. The result reads as a retrospective that is forward-looking, the kind of record that makes clear why these are the best tracks on Romanticize the Dive.
Key Points
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“Victim Of Luck” is the album’s best track for its huge hook and framing of the album’s central question.
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The album’s core strengths are self-sufficiency, reflective songwriting, and a balance of murmur and soaring choruses.
Themes
Critic's Take
The reviewer returns to Metric with a clear relish, praising Metric on Romanticize the Dive for reclaiming their stadium-sized indie-pop swagger. He singles out “Victim Of Luck” and “Wild Rut” as the one-two punch that reintroduces the band with gusto, and lauds “Time Is A Bomb” and “Clouds To Break” for their emotional heft. The voice is admiring and specific, noting shimmering new wave power in “Victim Of Luck” and an anthemic, heartbroken climax in “Wild Rut”. Overall the best songs on Romanticize the Dive are presented as both immediate thrills and lasting arena-ready treasures, driven by Emily Haines's immaculate vocals.
Themes
Critic's Take
Metric soundly reconcile past and present on Romanticize the Dive, leaning into melodic hooks where they once masked poppiness. In that voice the reviewer highlights “Tremolo” as a standout, and praises another track as an affecting love letter, framing these as the best songs on Romanticize the Dive because they put hooks and melodies front and centre. The tone is measured and affectionate, crediting Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw for bridging who they were with who they are now. This reads like a band at ease with its legacy, and those searching for the best tracks on Romanticize the Dive will find them in the album's clear, song-forward moments.
Key Points
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The best song is best because it foregrounds hooks and melodies, exemplified by “Tremolo”.
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The album’s core strength is marrying nostalgia with matured songwriting to let melodies lead.
Themes
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