The Alter Kakers don’t mince words in their joyful new breakup anthem When You’re Gone — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“Instead of having a remorseful feeling about it, it takes a self-aware approach,” says Steve Bronstein of the Toronto indie-rock band. “Looking forward to the freedoms ahead.”
When You’re Gone was a long time coming. Bronstein wrote its lyrics about 30 years ago, then stashed them away. A decade ago, the bed tracks were recorded at Metalworks with the band’s original singer Matt Dratva. Fast-forward to today, when The Alter Kakers decided to revisit the song and turn it into something complete.
As part of the transformation, the band realized it would be better suited to be played in a more acoustic manner. That led to more of a strumming approach, with drummer Dan Barsi playing a snappy snare beat to anchor it. The Alter Kakers recorded it in one take with everything live off the floor with no click. “The vocal, especially in the beginning of the song, feels intimate, almost conversational,” the band said. The violin solo — played by friend of the band Colin Maier of Quartetto Gelato — was added later.
When You’re Gone is the second song The Alter Kakers have released in the last eight weeks, following up the July release of Stopped Being In Love. Like their previous songs, When You’re Gone is accompanied by a video that the band shot and edited.
Scenes of the band performing When You’re Gone were captured at Underpass Park in Toronto’s Corktown district, fully immersed in the urban fabric of the city “(We went to Corktown) to take advantage of the graffiti as a backdrop and give the video a gritty vibe,” the band said. “We got lucky with some of the graffiti, especially the large spray painted word Denial, which seemed to fit perfectly with the subject of the song, and Steve sang a few verses in front of it to highlight it.”
As excited as The Alter Kakers are about their records, they truly pride themselves on their performances. Bronstein, Barsi, and bassist/vocalist Cary Corvair can be found entrancing crowds with original music and covers. The band’s name is a testament to their stature and nature — alter kaker is a Yiddish term for an old person, or as the band likes to call it, “an old fart.” That level of self-awareness helps when creating a song like When You’re Gone.
Watch the video for When You’re Gone above, sample more music from The Alter Kakers below, and meet them on their website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
