METZ singer and guitarist Alex Edkins on coping with the modern world

After releasing an eponymous debut album in 2012, METZ blasted itself into the post-hardcore scene (and into critical acclaim) for its pummeling precision, atonal riffs, and the sheer intensity of its volume. Taking cues from bands such as the Jesus Lizard, Pissed Jeans, and Shellac, the Toronto-based trio’s discord and screeching howls, courtesy of singer and guitarist Alex Edkins, give sharp fangs to Sub Pop’s current roster.

The band’s sophomore LP, titled II, brings more of METZ’s tight and cacophonous mix of post-punk, noise rock, and hardcore. Before playing Shaky Knees’ Boulevard stage on Sat., May 9 at 2:45 p.m., Edkins took a few minutes to talk about life in the modern world, and how METZ’s sound and chemistry has evolved over the last two years.

METZ takes a lot of time with its albums. Is precision really important to you?

I think it’s the group’s personality. We’re just control freaks. It takes us a long time to get consensus between the three of us. If the three of us can all agree, then maybe it’s good. We’re definitely pretty slow; there’s no doubt about it. We want things to be just so. We don’t want to have any regrets. We’re all gunning for the best music between the three of us. For the next record, I did a lot of writing at home and brought it to the guys. The last record was more a lot of jamming.

What has been the biggest change for the band over the last three years?

Because of the amount of shows we’ve been playing, we’ve gotten better as a band. We played 280 shows in a year or something. As three people, we’ve kind of gotten a little better chemistry and better musically. We’ve gotten a little more brave. Personally, I was a little timid. I never wanted to be the singer in the band. I just did it because no one else would. So I think we’ve gotten more confident.

What’s the story behind the new album cover (above)?

It’s a photo that my dad took, like the first album, when he was in school. I like the anonymity of it. I like that you don’t know what the people in the photo are doing or thinking about. I like to think about it as two people in a relationship that are looking at something they can’t get to.

What are some of the other themes that this new album focuses on?

Musically, we’re just kind of doing what felt good. We’re trying to make the best record and the most interesting record for us. Lyrically, it’s on all kinds of different things, some heavy, some a little bit lighter. It’s on what I see in the world around me and some things I went through in the last two years.

What happened over the last two years?

Really, we kind of went from being a band who did things after work and after the weekends to just doing it all the time. We didn’t expect it, and we’re so lucky.

I also lost two family members during that time, which puts things into perspective ... It’s also living in the society we live in, coping with everyday stresses, as well as bigger things like politics, society. It’s like taking little mini-films of those big topics but not attacking them full on. I’m not really trying to make my opinions felt. I’m more interested in creating a little moment of reflection.

What kind of reflection are you trying to create with the song “Acetate?” You’ve said previously that it’s about modern life’s ability to beat us down. How?

I just think it … gets a hold on you. We’re inundated with advertisements. There seems to be no place to find peace and quiet, where you can stop and think. I find it really overwhelming in almost every way. It’s sort of the idea that you can get stuck in those cycles doing the same thing every day. It’s kind of my worst nightmare, going through the motions. I just think it’s sort of horrific laughs … I’m certainly not immune to it. We can all still get stuck in a dark place.

Shaky Knees Festival. $99-$599. Fri., May 8 - Sun., May 10. Central Park.