Although her first record arrived several years after Metric had formed, Haines had always been writing her own material. With the encouragement of a friend, Haines decided to record the songs so they wouldn't be forgotten. After four years of putting together an album in four cities (Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, New York) with various contributors she dubbed the Soft Skeleton, Last Gang Records released Knives Don't Have Your Back in September 2006. The record, which leans toward a more introspective, quieter approach than Metric, features Scott Minor of Sparklehorse, Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene, Evan Cranley of Stars, and James Shaw of Metric, and received a lot of positive critical response. In July of the following year What Is Free to a Good Home?, an EP that included five previously unreleased songs from the Knives Don't Have Your Back sessions as well as a remix of "Mostly Waving," came out. ~ Kenyon Hopkin