WE is set to arrive this May!
Image: Michael Marcelle.
Arcade Fire are back! The GRAMMY award winning indie rockers have announced the release of their hotly-anticipated sixth studio album, WE. The five-piece have shared the first taste of the record with their new single, The Lightning I, II.
Split into two sides, the record is set to embody the rollercoaster of emotions we've all experienced over the past two years. Side “I” will capture feelings of loneliness and isolation, whilst side “WE” will embody reconnecting and celebrating time spent with each other. Produced by Win Butler and Régine Chassange alongside Nigel Godrich, the album was recorded across New Orleans, El Paso and Mount Desert Island from February 2020 onwards.
Having already written what was set to their next album by that time, the pandemic allowed for more space to write and create, with Win & Régine utilising their new found free time to write material that captured collective feelings that resonated worldwide. Built stop shimmering guitar work, The Lightning I, II embodies the conceptual nature of side "I", made complete with vulnerable lyricism and Butler's compelling vocal performance.
"My grandmother read me a book when I was a little kid that had the word "WE" stamped into its cover in broken 1920s gold leaf. As my eyes grew heavy, in the bedroom my father slept in as a child, I wondered... What is "WE"? Who are "WE"? There are questions that can rattle around in your head for a lifetime... but once in a while the centuries grind to a halt and WE are given the precious time to ask again in our child-like inner voice what is "WE"? shares Butler.
WE is out May 6.