Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Metric's "Just the Once" Is a Giddy Reprieve from Modern Malaise

Dance rock is back, haven't you heard? Two decades since their debut, Metric are as groovy as ever — except, rather than the spiky post-punk-inflected indie rock of their '00s work, "Just the Once" is buoyant disco, full of choppy funk guitar and ascendent string synths. A breakdown midway shifts into dreamier territory before the fully-fledged funk returns for the finale, acting as a promising hint at the directions they could go on upcoming album Formentera II. Last year's Formentera was about finding escape amidst the dystopia of the world — and the sequel is shaping up to be an even giddier reprieve from modern malaise.