This fall, Metric, Toronto masters of polished pop-rock thrills, will release their new album Formentera II, the sequel to last year’s Formentera. We’ve already posted first single “Just The Once,” which is really good. Now, Metric have another track ready to go.

Whereas “Just The Once” is an energized and disco-infused new-wave banger — classic Metric — the new single “Nothing Is Perfect” goes in a different direction. This one is stripped-back and mostly acoustic, with Emily Haines singing over James Shaw’s guitar strums before some mellotron hums and perfectly-mic’ed cymbal-taps come in. With a sort of moody detachment, Haines sings about one of those untenable situations where you aren’t quite happy or unhappy enough to change anything. Here’s what Haines says about the song:

“Nothing Is Perfect” stands out on Formentera II as the lone track that is carried by only acoustic guitar and vocals. We explored many renditions of this song during the recording process, but in the end found that everything we tried adding seemed to detract from the essence of it. Lyrically, “Nothing Is Perfect” takes the common expression away from its usual meaning, giving substance to “nothing” as a concrete thing that can be actively pursued and obtained: “Nothing is perfect/ I’ve earned it/ All absence achieved/ No fences, no exits, no lies.” For the official music video, we worked with Justin Broadbent to create an atmospheric and surreal visual accompaniment to enhance the otherworldly mood of the song, with stylistic nods to Terrence Malick and David Lynch. The song ends with a meditative and anthemic repetition of the word “nothing”, like I’m celebrating it and singing its praises. I love nothing!

Check out director Justin Broadbent’s video below.

Formentera II is out 10/13 on Metric Music International/Thirty Tigers.