Broken Social Scene has released their sixth studio album, Remember the Humans, marking their first new record since 2017's Hug of Thunder. The album features contributions from past and present members, including Leslie Feist, Ariel Engle, and Lisa Lobsinger, among others.
Co-founder Kevin Drew Discusses the Band's Ever-Changing Lineup
During a recent interview, co-founder Kevin Drew received calls from vocalists Amy Millan and Ariel Engle, both of whom appear on the new album. Millan, also a member of Stars, has performed with Broken Social Scene since the early days. Engle's call came just as Drew was asked about her participation in the band's upcoming tour. Drew declined to confirm who will be on the road, stating, “I don’t do that question anymore. … My answer is Broken Social Scene. … Do you know who’s going to be there? The music. The songs.”
The band's lineup has always fluctuated, ranging from six to over a dozen members, including notable Canadian indie musicians such as Metric's Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw, Stars' Evan Cranley, and singer-songwriter Jason Collett. The new record features songs penned and sung by Feist, Engle, and Lobsinger. Drew noted that Lobsinger, a former Calgarian who has been absent from the lineup for years, contributed a song called Relief to the album. Feist, whom Drew affectionately calls “Feisty,” will not be touring with the band. “If Feist was coming out with us, she would be her own entity, her own castle amongst all of us,” Drew said.
Upcoming Tour and Nostalgia
Broken Social Scene is currently touring with Stars and Metric, with a stop at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on June 28. Millan, Cranley, Haines, and Shaw are expected to perform double duty with both their respective bands and Broken Social Scene. Haines co-wrote and sang Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl, a classic from the band's 2002 breakout album You Forgot It In People. Drew emphasized the significance of performing that song: “If we can do Anthems with Emily Haines, who wrote it, and Jimmy Shaw, that’s an achievement in itself. … One of the reasons we took this tour is so we could honour this song that became such a milestone in all our lives.”
Despite the tour's focus on older material, Drew rejects the notion that the band is running on nostalgia. Broken Social Scene rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a sprawling collective alongside The New Pornographers, representing a communal vibe in the Canadian indie scene. Starting as a two-piece basement band with co-founder Brendan Canning, the group's cross-pollination of members helped define an era.
