We Were Sharks 2020 Bridge Burner acoustic
[Photo by: Kyle Lajeunesse]

Hear We Were Sharks deliver a stripped-down take on “Bridge Burner”

Ottawa, Canada’s We Were Sharks have a special gift for supporters—and anybody who appreciates a great song. The self-proclaimed “True North Pop-Punk” band have created an acoustic version of their fan-favorite track “Bridge Burner.” It’s a bonus track found on the Deluxe Edition version of the vinyl pressing of 2015’s Not A Chance.

The original version of “Bridge Burner” is an amped-up cautionary tale with hooks and attitude to spare. This acoustic take, which boasts melancholy overtones, is also something to behold. Amazing what a lack of amps and caffeine can sometimes do to a song.   

Read more: Real Friends premiere acoustic version of “From The Outside”

We Were Sharks singer Randy Frobel explained the resonance of the song and what’s in store on the Not A Chance deluxe edition this version is featured on.

Why did you decide to reimagine “Bridge Burner” acoustically? 

“Bridge Burner” is such an important song for We Were Sharks. It has opened up so many doors and led to many great opportunities. As great as our recent album Lost Touch was received by our fans, it’s obvious at shows and online that ol’ “Bridge Burner” is the song that really sticks to the core of our fans. We had the opportunity to put out an alternative version with the deluxe edition. We feel our fans and friends would love the fresh take on it, so we went for it.

 “Bridge Burner” has been your staple song for several years. Why do you think it resonates with you and your audience? 

I think “Bridge Burner” resonates with our fans because it’s a big middle finger to people who aren’t worth our time. It’s something we all had to deal with and always will. The message is direct lyrically and everyone relates.

Read more: The best acoustic versions of heavy songs if you’re tired of breakdowns

Do you have future plans to reimagine any other songs into acoustic versions? 

We’ve actually been talking about someday doing a full album of that kinda stuff. Most of our songs are so melodic and easy to strip down to acoustic/multi-instrumental tracks. We’ll look forward to seeing how our fans react to our softer side and go from there!

Tell us about the Not A Chance Deluxe Edition LP.  What do fans have to look forward to? 

For our lifelong fans and those who’ve discovered our earlier material, the deluxe version features digitally remastered songs are from the releases prior to Not A Chance. There’s also a couple handpicked fan-favorite songs from the NAC EP that we reimagined. We have a very limited amount of vinyl that we are launching, as well as an exclusive shirt put together by our awesome team at Revival Recordings.

Read more: Bad Cop/Bad Cop are writing their own punk rulebook on ‘The Ride.’

You’re working on the follow-up to 2018’s Lost Touch. Tell us about the album. How did you grow upon your sound, the band dynamic? What’s the most interesting thing you’ve added to the album? 

The new album is our best music yet. We really started embracing a direction we discovered while writing Lost Touch and are running with it. We had the opportunity to work with Paul Marc Rousseau of Silverstein and Sam Guaiana again. This time around, we focused a little more on our pop/rock sensibility, cohesive vocal melodies and some huge lead guitars. We really played around with many melodies and different ways to attack the songs. We went with what felt the best. It’s a great balance of the We Were Sharks sound you are used to, and what we feel is taking it to the next level. 

When should fans expect your new LP to be released? 

With everything going on in the world right now, that is a great question. If I was a betting man, I’d say winter/spring of 2021 with a lot of touring in North America and beyond. Definitely expect new We Were Sharks songs in 2020, though!

Check out the acoustic version of “Bridge Burner” below. Pre-order the Deluxe Edition version of Not A Chance here.