SONG REVIEW: Time Keeper - "You Broke Me First (Tate McRae Cover"
Time Keeper explore a vastly different approach to Tate McRae’s “You Broke Me First”
Written by JD Walker
“You Broke Me First” is a well known song to put it in the simplest of terms. With over 655 million streams on Spotify alone, the song has easily achieved the status of a worldwide hit. Time Keeper undertook the daunting task of covering this massive song, and not only covering it effectively but in a completely different genre as part of Ghost Killer Entertainment’s “Punk Goes Pop” series. The band kept many similar elements of the original song but offered so many unique approaches and sounds that it almost sounds like an entirely new song.
Time Keeper’s version of “You Broke Me First” combines many elements from early electronicore and post-hardcore with modulated synthesizer and chugging breakdowns, though stayed true to the original version with Billy Barber’s vocals mimicking that of Tate McRae in timbre and phrasing, though a much more high energy delivery. TimeKeeper does a wonderful job of encapsulating all that there is to love about heavy alternative music in a version of the song that’s sure to draw a large audience from the crowd of the original song. Time Keeper’s version remains just as catchy as (if not more than) the original version but brings the heavier grit that makes “Pop Goes Punk” such a unique project to experience.
Time Keeper is a Minnesota-based quintet composed of Barber, guitarist Joan Mendoza, bassist Phil Robin, drummer Derek Malchow (who rocks the traditional grip, rarely seen in modern playing styles), and guitarist/founder Liam Bimps. The group started as Bimps’ solo project in 2017 before recruiting the rest of the lineup and becoming a full band. No strangers to turbulence, the band underwent a number of lineup changes, including a vocalist change just days before their first tour. Through the face of adversity, Time Keeper has kept the flame alive by creating their unique combination of unique hooks with nostalgic aesthetic.
Reimaging an extremely popular song in an entirely new genre is no easy feat, though that’s what makes Time Keeper’s take on “ You Broke Me First” so impressive - the group was somehow able to stay true to the original composition while adding a post-hardcore flare and transforming it into something entirely new and unique to the voicing of the band. Time Keeper’s cover is a testament to the strength of the band in terms of musicianship and songwriting ability, and the sky’s the limit for a group that’s able to achieve these types of results when interpreting an entirely new genre in a new voice.