With its loose, careening, ’70s rock ‘n’ roll style, you would hardly expect Toronto indie rockers The Alter Kakers’ fun-loving new single “The Great Upheaval” to be about something as highfalutin as fine art, but indeed it is. Check it out on YouTube here:

Inspired by The Great Upheaval art exhibit at the AGO in Toronto, the song is told from the perspective of painter Marc Chagall in the first verse (“I made my name as a painter; I helped create a new style, and we changed the landscape for a while”); and then Picasso in the second verse: “I’ll put your ass on a canvas, cut you into cubes; they’ll know your name but never recognize you.”

All things end. Some things must end.

Steve Bronstein of Toronto indie rock band The Alter Kakers wrote the group’s latest single, “When You’re Gone”, years ago near the close of a relationship. But unlike the more common musical theme in breakup songs, the singer isn’t sad about the conclusion - he relishes it.

 “Instead of having a remorseful feeling about it, it takes a self-aware approach,” Bronstein explained. “Looking forward to the freedoms ahead.”

Incorporating clever wordplay and poignant truths, Bronstein brays over an upbeat but dirty instrumental, which includes drums, guitar, and even violin.

“When You’re Gone” has been a long time in the making. Bronstein originally 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 modern day, and The Alter Kakers decided to revisit the song and turn it into something complete.

Love is a double-edged sword. At its highs, nothing beats it. At its lows, you’re fully defeated. Toronto indie rock band The Alter Kakers captured the torrid experience of a love affair gone wrong in its latest single, “Stopped Being In Love.” Check it out on YouTube here:

Combining influences from both rock and country, vocalist and guitarist Steve Bronstein serenades the listener with a twangy sound that emanates the emotion and turbulence of a relationship falling apart. He starts from the beginning, explaining how he and the nameless woman met at a truck stop some time ago. The relationship unfolded from there, but it fell apart down the line, and now Bronstein confesses that he might have stopped being in love.

The track intertwines with the band’s motif - alter kaker is a Yiddish term for an old person, or as the band likes to call it, it means “an old fart.”