Romanticize the Dive is the tenth studio album by Canadian rock band Metric. It was released on April 24, 2026, through Metric Music International and Thirty Tigers, and received generally positive reviews.
Background and composition Thematically, Romanticize the Dive reflects on the early stages of Metric's career; it was produced by Gavin Brown, who previously worked on Fantasies and Synthetica. Frontwoman Emily Haines described it as the "essence" of the band, as opposed to the more "exploratory" nature of albums such as Formentera.
The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Main Street Studios in Toronto.
Release The album was announced on 3 February 2026, alongside the first single, "Victim Of Luck". The second and third singles, "Time is a Bomb", and "Crush Forever", were released on 5 March and 1 April respectively. The release of the album was celebrated with a roller disco party in Brooklyn, which was utilised for the music video of "Crush Forever".
Reception
On the review aggregator Metacritic, Romanticize the Dive received a score of 75 out of 100 based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Joe Goggins of DIY described it as sonically "leaning into the fundamentals", and Under the Radar writer Jimi Arundell called it a "reaffirmation" of the band's most popular work. Eric B. Danton of Paste said that despite its retrospective nature, it was not "merely a retread". AllMusic reviewer Tim Sendra praised Haines' "second-to-none vocals", stating that it is "hard to image why she isn't a cultural icon on par with Hayley Williams".
Track listing
Personnel Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal. Metric Emily Haines – lead vocals James Shaw – electric guitar, production Joules Scott-Key – drums Joshua Winstead – bass guitar
Additional contributors John O'Mahony – production, mixing Gavin Brown – production Liam O'Neil – production Shawn Dealey – engineering Lauren Marquez – engineering Greg Calbi – mastering Steve Fallone – mastering Justin Broadbent – artwork
Charts + Chart performance for Romanticize the Dive Chart (2026) Peakposition UK Albums Sales (OCC) 15 US Top Album Sales (Billboard) 30
References