Broken Social Scene Perform First New Song in Seven Years on ‘Colbert’
Broken Social Scene unleashed the triumphant “Halfway Home,” their first new single in seven years, Thursday on The Late Show.
For the single’s debut live performance, the sprawling, Canadian indie-rock collective included a mixture of new and longtime members, including Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Stars’ Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, Metric’s Emily Haines and James Shaw, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman and Charles Spearin.
“Halfway Home” is vintage Broken Social Scene, filled with overlapping vocals, messy guitars, brass section breaks and a cathartic chorus. During the live version, the horn players pulled double-duty with some complex hand claps. “Friendship, ladies and gentleman,” Drew said after the performance. “Friendship. Thank you.”
The song previews Broken Social Scene’s upcoming fifth LP, their first since 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record. During a recent interview with Sirius XMU, Drew said the album is finished and will be released before the fall.
The band have a brief run of tour dates, mostly in Europe, scheduled for the summer. Their next show is May 23rd in Manchester, U.K.