A collaborative and loving tribute.

This year marks the 22nd anniversary of Toronto-based indie band Broken Social Scene’s influential breakout album, You Forgot It in People. To commemorate, the group has enlisted over a dozen artists, including Maggie Rogers, Toro y Moi, the Weather Station and more, to cover different songs from the album. The LP is ANTHEMS: A Celebration of Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It in People. 

This record is more than just your standard cover album, though. The songs are completely reimagined by the guest artists. French-Canadian electronic artist, Ouri, takes the opening track “Capture the Flag” and sufficiently flips it on its head. The vocal harmonies added, which almost replace the drone of the original song, are otherworldly. It’s a perfect introduction to the album, and it illustrates the creative freedom that many of the guest artists were given. It shows how BSS’ influence has acted as the foundation for a newer, more experimental indie sound.

Toro y Moi’s cover of “Stars and Sons” is a definite standout. It’s a grainy, synth-laced take on the original, but it still soars as a standalone track. The song is so sonically textured and interesting. There’s never a dull moment, and Toro y Moi does a fantastic job from the vocals to the instrumentation.

“Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl,” covered by Maggie Rogers and Sylvan Esso, was the first promotional single released for the album. It transforms the original track from a grunge, meditative indie-folk song to a dance anthem. Due to the song’s popularity and impact, it can be a feat to cover it and do it justice, but Rogers and Sylvan Esso’s admiration for the track really shines through. The track falls flat in some areas, but it’s still full of love and overall a very fun, fresh take on the anthem. 

Miya Folick and Hand Habits team up to cover another iconic BSS song, “Almost Crimes.” This cover is the definition of reimagination. Folick and Hand Habits come together to transform the originally messy, urgent rock song into a slower, more introspective track. They trade out electric guitars for acoustic ones and BSS’ frenzied vocals for Folick and Habits’ calm, ethereal harmonies. The production is experimental and almost heart-wrenching, with the bass resonating down the listener’s body. The cover sounds like more than twenty years of wisdom have been added to it. 

Overall, the LP is a heartfelt tribute that recognizes BSS’ influence in the indie rock scene. The band has been revisiting this record in recent years, with a huge performance of it in 2023 and a documentary about the good old days, but it seems ANTHEMS is the culmination of all that.

Broken Social Scene has done something truly admirable to celebrate their decades of success: share it with other artists. Many of the artists covering songs have expressed their love for the original record, and it’s touching to see that love in every single cover. BSS is cementing their legacy with this record and ensuring we’ll never forget them or their impact.