Broken Social Scene revives the Y2K indie rock scene with their new record Remember The Humans
Words by Julia Norton
Photo by Julia Norton
“Basements are where magic happens.”
This is one of the first sentiments declared by Broken Social Scene’s frontman Kevin Drew as he took the stage in NYC’s Rough Trade Below on May 9th. If you’ve ever visited this Rough Trade location yourself, you can feel the music fueled magic permeating the one of a kind basement, home to a diverse catalogue of music and pop up shows featuring huge artists. After nearly a decade, Broken Social Scene have reunited to release their latest record Remember The Humans, and celebrated the new album with a live performance of select songs for an intimate crowd at New York’s beloved indie record store.
I’ve been making an effort in recent years to dive into the discographies of artists that have inspired my favorite modern artists, and after getting lost in a Broken Social Scene tunnel, it became easy to understand why the artist collective was a major influence on the early 2000s indie scene. With experimental sounds, powerful lyrics, and a tight-knit rotation of musicians who wanted an outlet to make art with their friends, the band’s cultivated energy was a refreshing new era for counter-culture.
Drew knows how to captivate an audience with his smooth voice and poetic humanity. He can acknowledge the hardships life throws at you while still searching for that glimmer of hope at the center of it all. Drew took the time between songs to emphasize the importance of community and hope in the current state of the world, which is truly the epitome of Broken Social Scene’s purpose. The band simply would not exist without Kevin Drew making such meaningful connections in his youth; most Scene members were making music together in their high school years before the project officially emerged.
Joining Broken Social Scene on the new record and at their Rough Trade performance was Hannah Georgas, who brings some down-to-earth vocals to many tracks, including the standout “Only The Good I Keep”. The beauty of Broken Social Scene is that artists may come and go from the band, but the legacy left by their collaborative efforts is still celebrated by dedicated fans and performed at shows. For the latter half of their set, the band played fan favorites “Lovers Spit” and “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” from their monumental 2003 album You Forgot It In People. The band had the entire audience singing along to “Anthems”, with the iconic lyrics “park that car/drop that phone/sleep on the floor/dream about me” echoing through the record store in an emotional harmony. Drew shouted out collaborators Emily Haines and James Shaw, former Scene players and current masterminds behind indie rock band Metric, for their work on that era of the band’s music. Broken Social Scene is going on tour with Metric and Stars this summer, both bands created by early members of the Scene, giving fans a show that Y2K Toronto-indie heads cannot miss.
Remember The Humans is instrumentally more laid back than some of the band’s earlier work, but the heart of the band is still beating strong in the chords. Drew brought up a recent comment made regarding the sonic shift in which someone asked about the lack of triumphant horns and climactic instrumental moments in the new record. Drew told the Rough Trade audience that for this album, you have to “look inside” to find those climactic moments rather than waiting for the instrumentals to take over.
It was such a special experience to see new and old members of Broken Social Scene come together for an acoustic performance ahead of their larger scale tour. The show carried the vibe of going to a basement show in your college years, when the outside world fades away and all that matters is living in the moment and appreciating the music. Remember The Humans is out now anywhere you find your music, and be sure to check out Broken Social Scene on their upcoming summer tour!