Canadian collective Broken Social Scene have announced the release of their new album “Remember The Humans” on 8th May 2026 via City Slang in the UK and EU / Arts & Crafts in North America.
Marking their first new studio album in nearly a decade, the album reunites the Toronto collective with producer David Newfeld, who helmed their breakthrough “You Forgot It in People” (2002) and self-titled 2005 album. “Remember the Humans” was shaped by reunion and loss in equal measure. When Drew and Newfeld reconnected after nearly 20 years apart, one hangout became what they call “a hurricane of fun”, the kind of energy that demanded musical expression. During the recording, both lost their mothers – a shared grief that drew them closer. As Newfeld recalls, “our moms would have wanted us to do this and get it right after 20 years of not working together.”
As ever, Broken Social Scene operates less as a band than as a community and songs evolve by ceding control to whoever can best carry them forward in the moment. Drew may be the designated driver, but collaborators on “Remember the Humans”, including Hannah Georgas, Lisa Lobsinger, and Feist, step into the foreground throughout the record, shaping songs with a sense of collective authorship that has always defined the group’s ethos. The songs work because no one fully commands them, which is where Newfeld steps up. As BSS’s Charles Spearin puts it, “his production suits the chaos of our songwriting so well…he’s got a childlike energy that is really contagious, when you get a piece of music that he loves, Oh my God, he’s bouncing like a little boy.”
On “Remember the Humans”, Broken Social Scene have evolved; the sound of a band deepening rather than reinventing, exploring the emotional implications of forms they’ve spent twenty years shaping. “There’s a different kind of honesty in this record,” says Spearin, “we’ve had success, we’ve lost friends, we’ve lost parents, we’re at this ‘what happens next?’ stage in life.” You can pre-save/ pre-order the album here.
Broken Social Scene have also announced news of a major North American Tour. They say we should stay tuned for news of UK live dates.
The album’s opening track has been released as the lead single. ‘Not Around Anymore’ sees Drew incanting about the disappearance of possibility in a world where “it’s all gone away.” But the nostalgia hinted at by the lyrics is gently resisted by the music: by invoking a past that has vanished, the song unexpectedly floods the present with a glow that rivals the very greatness being lamented. The track is accompanied by a video directed by Jordan D Allen, Rachel McLean and Kevin Drew.
