The band's fifth studio album, Synthetica, was released on June 12, 2012 on the band's own label, Metric Music International, and received generally positive reviews.
Synthetica was produced by Gavin Brown, John O'Mahony, Liam O'Neil, James Shaw, and it was recorded at Giant Studios (Metric's own studio) and Electric Lady Studios.
The album also included a collaboration with Lou Reed, who sang with Haines on "Wanderlust".
For iTunes pre-orders, they included five instrumental bonus tracks, that were the basis of five songs from the album.
A deluxe version, with five additional acoustic tracks, was released on November 20, 2012.

The album's first single "Youth Without Youth" was released to the internet on April 30, 2012.
The single was the first song in history to debut at #1 on the Canadian Alternative Rock Charts.
This was followed by a sneak preview of "Speed the Collapse", which was released to the internet on May 23, 2012.

On May 29, 2012, the band started a hide and seek hunt for fans to access an early stream of Synthetica.
The secretive stream became available on the band's SoundCloud page.
A few days later the stream became publicly available.

In late 2011 it was announced that the band would be contributing to the soundtrack of David Cronenberg's 2012 drama film entitled Cosmopolis.
Songs were co-written by the band with film composer Howard Shore as well as an appearance by K'naan on one track.
This was the second time that the band collaborated with Shore after their previous work on the Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack.
The soundtrack was released on June 5, 2012 in Canada and on July 10, 2012 in the United States.

In June, 2012, Metric performed as part of the NXNE festival in Toronto.

On August 21, 2012, the first episode of a documentary about the making of Synthetica, covering events at the band's home studio in Toronto and recording sessions at New York's Electric Lady Studios, was released on the band's YouTube channel.
 The band wrapped up a 25-tour dates US Tour on October 14, 2012.
They embarked on their first arena tour across Canada, which started in Victoria, BC on November 9, 2012 and ended November 24, 2012 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

On November 20, 2012, Metric released a deluxe version of Synthetica, which featured acoustic versions of songs on the album, as well as a cover of "Strange Weather" by Tom Waits.
In April, 2013 they performed at Coachella Festival.

The band won three awards at 2013 Juno Awards: "Alternative Album of the Year" for Synthetica and "Producer of the Year" for James Shaw.
The art director/designer/photographer Justin Broadbent also won an award for "Recording Package of the Year" for Synthetica.
In June 2013, Synthetica was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.

On July 1, 2013, Metric performed at Parliament Hill on Canada Day for then Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The band spent 2014 writing for their upcoming sixth studio album.
They also played at several festivals around North America including a return to Pemberton Music Festival (the band played the original 2008 festival), and Riot Fest and Made In America LA.
The band's fifth studio album, Synthetica, was released on June 12, 2012 on the band's own label, Metric Music International, and received generally positive reviews. Synthetica was produced by Gavin Brown, John O'Mahony, Liam O'Neil, James Shaw, and it was recorded at Giant Studios (Metric's own studio) and Electric Lady Studios. The album also included a collaboration with Lou Reed, who sang with Haines on "Wanderlust". For iTunes pre-orders, they included five instrumental bonus tracks, that were the basis of five songs from the album. A deluxe version, with five additional acoustic tracks, was released on November 20, 2012.
The album's first single "Youth Without Youth" was released to the internet on April 30, 2012. The single was the first song in history to debut at #1 on the Canadian Alternative Rock Charts. This was followed by a sneak preview of "Speed the Collapse", which was released to the internet on May 23, 2012.
On May 29, 2012, the band started a hide and seek hunt for fans to access an early stream of Synthetica. The secretive stream became available on the band's SoundCloud page. A few days later the stream became publicly available.
In late 2011 it was announced that the band would be contributing to the soundtrack of David Cronenberg's 2012 drama film entitled Cosmopolis. Songs were co-written by the band with film composer Howard Shore as well as an appearance by K'naan on one track. This was the second time that the band collaborated with Shore after their previous work on the Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack. The soundtrack was released on June 5, 2012 in Canada and on July 10, 2012 in the United States.
In June, 2012, Metric performed as part of the NXNE festival in Toronto.
On August 21, 2012, the first episode of a documentary about the making of Synthetica, covering events at the band's home studio in Toronto and recording sessions at New York's Electric Lady Studios, was released on the band's YouTube channel.  The band wrapped up a 25-tour dates US Tour on October 14, 2012. They embarked on their first arena tour across Canada, which started in Victoria, BC on November 9, 2012 and ended November 24, 2012 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
On November 20, 2012, Metric released a deluxe version of Synthetica, which featured acoustic versions of songs on the album, as well as a cover of "Strange Weather" by Tom Waits. In April, 2013 they performed at Coachella Festival.
The band won three awards at 2013 Juno Awards: "Alternative Album of the Year" for Synthetica and "Producer of the Year" for James Shaw. The art director/designer/photographer Justin Broadbent also won an award for "Recording Package of the Year" for Synthetica. In June 2013, Synthetica was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.
On July 1, 2013, Metric performed at Parliament Hill on Canada Day for then Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The band spent 2014 writing for their upcoming sixth studio album. They also played at several festivals around North America including a return to Pemberton Music Festival (the band played the original 2008 festival), and Riot Fest and Made In America LA.
Metric (band)