By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – Toronto, the architectural pulse of the Canadian indie-rock movement is quickening once again as Broken Social Scene, the sprawling collective that defined an era of communal music-making, prepares for its most significant return in nearly a decade. The band has officially confirmed the upcoming release of their latest full-length studio effort, titled Remember the Humans, scheduled to arrive on May 8. To mark the announcement and provide a deeper glimpse into the record’s thematic core, the group has released a brand-new single, “Hey Amanda,” a track that serves as a poignant meditation on the complexities of personal identity in an increasingly judgmental world.
The arrival of Remember the Humans ends a lengthy period of anticipation for the band’s global following. While the group has remained active in various capacities, this project represents their first cohesive studio LP since 2017’s critically acclaimed Hug of Thunder. That seven-year gap—which the band frames as a nine-year transformative cycle in the context of their evolving creative process—has seen the music industry and the cultural landscape shift dramatically. Yet, Broken Social Scene appears ready to reclaim their position as the torchbearers of orchestral, high-energy indie rock. The new album will be released under the banner of Arts & Crafts, the venerable independent label that the band helped establish as a powerhouse of Canadian culture in the early 2000s.
“Hey Amanda” serves as the second preview of the new album, following the earlier release of the lead single, “Not Around Anymore.” Musically, the new track carries the hallmarks of the classic Broken Social Scene sound: a dense, layered arrangement that balances melodic intimacy with a grand, cinematic scope. Lyrically, the song navigates the friction between self-actualization and external perception. According to the collective, the track is fundamentally about the courage required to be oneself and the inevitable scrutiny that follows such authenticity. It is a theme that resonates deeply within the band’s own history—a group that has always prioritized the chaotic beauty of a multi-member democracy over the streamlined predictability of traditional rock bands.
The announcement of Remember the Humans provides a sense of closure to a transitional era for the group. Since the release of Hug of Thunder, Broken Social Scene has not been entirely silent. In 2019, they experimented with a more fragmented release schedule, putting out the Let’s Try the After EPs in two distinct volumes. These EPs showcased a band willing to lean into electronic textures and shorter, punchier compositions. More recently, in 2022, they curated Old Dead Young, a comprehensive collection of B-sides and rarities that acted as a career-spanning retrospective, reminding fans of the sheer volume of high-quality material the group has produced outside of their primary studio albums. However, Remember the Humans is being positioned as a definitive statement—a focused, full-length narrative that captures the band’s current state of mind.
The upcoming album also serves as the catalyst for one of the most anticipated indie-rock tours of the year. Broken Social Scene will be hitting the road across North America in a massive joint tour that feels like a homecoming for the Toronto scene. Joining them on the bill are their long-time compatriots Metric and Stars. This "triple threat" lineup represents the foundational pillars of the Arts & Crafts movement. The history between these bands is deeply intertwined; members of Metric and Stars were instrumental in the early lineup of Broken Social Scene, contributing to the seminal 2002 album You Forgot It in People.
This tour is not merely a nostalgia trip, however, as all three acts are bringing fresh material to the stage. Metric is set to release their own new studio album, Romanticize The Dive, on April 24, just weeks before the Broken Social Scene LP drops. The proximity of these releases suggests a coordinated resurgence of the creative energy that first put Toronto on the international music map two decades ago. For fans, the opportunity to see these three giants of the genre sharing a stage is a rare alignment of talent and history.
The title Remember the Humans carries a heavy weight in the current technological and social climate. While the band has not released a formal manifesto regarding the name, the choice suggests a return to the tactile, the emotional, and the communal—elements that have always been at the heart of the Broken Social Scene experience. In an era where music production is increasingly digitized and individualistic, BSS stands as a defiant example of what can happen when twenty or more musicians bring their disparate influences into a single room. The "supergroup" moniker has often been applied to them, but they have always functioned more as a neighborhood or a family, with a revolving door of members including Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Emily Haines, James Shaw, Amy Millan, and Feist.
As May 8 approaches, the industry is watching closely to see how Remember the Humans will fit into the band’s storied discography. From the ambient origins of Feel Good Lost to the breakthrough success of You Forgot It in People and the ambitious heights of their 2005 self-titled record and 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record, the band has never been content to repeat themselves. Hug of Thunder was seen by many as a triumphant return to form that emphasized the band’s ability to craft anthemic, stadium-ready indie rock without losing their experimental edge. If “Hey Amanda” and “Not Around Anymore” are any indication, the new record will continue this trajectory, offering a blend of introspective lyricism and the explosive, horn-drenched crescendos that have become the band’s signature.
The logistics of the upcoming North American tour are expected to be as expansive as the band’s lineup. Performing with Metric and Stars implies a marathon of a show, likely featuring cross-collaborations and guest appearances that have characterized their live performances in the past. It is this spirit of collaboration that remains the group’s greatest legacy. By fostering an environment where individual artists can pursue their own projects—like Metric’s synth-driven rock or Stars’ poetic pop—while still returning to the collective, Broken Social Scene created a sustainable model for artistic longevity.
For the label Arts & Crafts, the release of Remember the Humans is a milestone. The label was founded specifically to release Broken Social Scene’s music, and it has since grown into a cultural institution. Seeing the "Big Three"—BSS, Metric, and Stars—all active and touring together in the mid-2020s is a testament to the enduring relevance of the indie-rock ethos they championed.
As the countdown to May begins, “Hey Amanda” offers a moment of reflection. It is a song that encourages the listener to stand firm in their own identity, regardless of the noise surrounding them. In many ways, it is a perfect metaphor for Broken Social Scene itself. Despite the passage of time, the changing trends of the music industry, and the logistical challenges of maintaining such a large collective, they remain steadfastly themselves. Remember the Humans is not just an album title; it feels like a call to action, a reminder of the power of human connection in an age of isolation.
Fans can expect further details regarding the tracklist of Remember the Humans and specific tour dates in the coming weeks. With Metric’s Romanticize The Dive arriving in late April, the spring season is shaping up to be a definitive period for the Canadian indie scene, culminating in the May 8 arrival of what may be Broken Social Scene’s most essential work to date. For now, “Hey Amanda” serves as the perfect introduction to this new chapter—a song of resilience, authenticity, and the enduring power of the collective voice.