Arcade Fire will release WE, their first new album in five years, on May 6. It was produced by Nigel Godrich alongside the band’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, and recorded in multiple locations including New Orleans, El Paso and Mount Desert Island. Arcade Fire say it was “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever”.
The first fruit of that labour has been shared in “The Lightning I” and “The Lightning II”, two parts of the same song – as they’re presented in the video. The first finds Arcade Fire emerging from their paranoia, echoing The Boss in injecting some half-hearted hope into their stately heartland rock arrangement, gradually building to a place of triumph. That then gets unspooled in the latter half, where they push through the gears and court the titular lightning itself, using their rambunctious playing to call it down so they can harness its power.
Check out the Emily Kai Bock directed video for “The Lightning I, II” below or listen to it on streaming platforms.
Arcade Fire’s new album WE will arrive on May 6 through Columbia. You can find the band on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
The band has also released this poster with the album:
