Metric continued to work on their debut album in the first few months of 2001.
Now dubbed Grow Up and Blow Away, they developed a more musically layered and mature sound than the earlier Mainstream EP.
Haines and Shaw completed the album in April and by this time had found a new label for their release, the L.A. indie label Restless Records.
The album (produced by Shaw) was delayed for years by their record label, Restless Records.
It was finally released in 2007 on Last Gang Records.

Grow Up and Blow Away included the uptempo songs "Grow Up and Blow Away", "Raw Sugar", and "Soft Rock Star", as well as downtempo songs "White Gold", "The Twist", and "Rock Me Now" (which included falsetto singing by Shaw and spoken-word vocals by Haines in a manner reminiscent of "The Mandate", and had an overall jazzy vibe). "
Parkdale", featuring trumpeting by Shaw and a fanfare intro, concerned the Parkdale, Toronto neighborhood.
When the track titled "Rock Me Now" was reworked, it had been stripped of its intro "bubble" sounds, as well as an additional vocal part was added to the bridge.
The title track was also reworked during the chorus, in which, Haines vocalizes "If this is the life, why does it feel so good to die today?"
and the synths get a more "heavier" feel.

In the same year, the band released Static Anonymity, a five-song EP which they sold only at Metric performances and on their official site.
Three tracks from the EP were also included on Grow Up and Blow Away.

Metric up to this time had been for the most part a studio band; live shows couldn't reproduce the synthesizer-centered and drum machine-driven sound of the recordings.
After recruiting a drummer to allow a stronger, more engaging live presence, Metric performed in New York in early spring and late summer 2001.
They handed out handmade CD-R copies of their unreleased music to fans at shows and by mail, and later gave away the music on the internet.

In August 2001 the television commercial "Be Afraid", advertising Polaroid's I-Zone Pocket Fortune film, used music from the song "Grow Up and Blow Away", with the line "Why does it feel so good to die today?"
changed to "Why does it feel so good to fly today?".

In March 2002, Metric performed at Canadian Music Week.
The band's performance was criticized in an article in University of Waterloo's newspaper "Imprint", where the reviewer referred to the band's music as "derivative, pretentious, boring pap at its most mediocre".

By the end of 2002, Metric had gained another bandmate: the bassist Joshua Winstead (a native of Texas), who was in town performing with long-time friend Scott-Key in the local music scene.
Metric continued to work on their debut album in the first few months of 2001. Now dubbed Grow Up and Blow Away, they developed a more musically layered and mature sound than the earlier Mainstream EP. Haines and Shaw completed the album in April and by this time had found a new label for their release, the L.A. indie label Restless Records. The album (produced by Shaw) was delayed for years by their record label, Restless Records. It was finally released in 2007 on Last Gang Records.
Grow Up and Blow Away included the uptempo songs "Grow Up and Blow Away", "Raw Sugar", and "Soft Rock Star", as well as downtempo songs "White Gold", "The Twist", and "Rock Me Now" (which included falsetto singing by Shaw and spoken-word vocals by Haines in a manner reminiscent of "The Mandate", and had an overall jazzy vibe). "Parkdale", featuring trumpeting by Shaw and a fanfare intro, concerned the Parkdale, Toronto neighborhood. When the track titled "Rock Me Now" was reworked, it had been stripped of its intro "bubble" sounds, as well as an additional vocal part was added to the bridge. The title track was also reworked during the chorus, in which, Haines vocalizes "If this is the life, why does it feel so good to die today?" and the synths get a more "heavier" feel.
In the same year, the band released Static Anonymity, a five-song EP which they sold only at Metric performances and on their official site. Three tracks from the EP were also included on Grow Up and Blow Away.
Metric up to this time had been for the most part a studio band; live shows couldn't reproduce the synthesizer-centered and drum machine-driven sound of the recordings. After recruiting a drummer to allow a stronger, more engaging live presence, Metric performed in New York in early spring and late summer 2001. They handed out handmade CD-R copies of their unreleased music to fans at shows and by mail, and later gave away the music on the internet.
In August 2001 the television commercial "Be Afraid", advertising Polaroid's I-Zone Pocket Fortune film, used music from the song "Grow Up and Blow Away", with the line "Why does it feel so good to die today?" changed to "Why does it feel so good to fly today?".
In March 2002, Metric performed at Canadian Music Week. The band's performance was criticized in an article in University of Waterloo's newspaper "Imprint", where the reviewer referred to the band's music as "derivative, pretentious, boring pap at its most mediocre".
By the end of 2002, Metric had gained another bandmate: the bassist Joshua Winstead (a native of Texas), who was in town performing with long-time friend Scott-Key in the local music scene.
Metric (band)