WE Arcade Fire

• 1Age of Anxiety I05:27
• 2Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)06:41
• 3Prelude00:30
• 4End of The Empire I-III05:23
• 5End of the Empire IV (Sagittarius A*)03:54
• 6The Lightning I03:01
• 7The Lightning II02:34
• 8Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)04:33
• 9Unconditional II (Race and Religion)04:20
• 10WE03:51
• Total Runtime40:14

Info for WE

Arcade Fire have today announced that their eagerly anticipated sixth studio album WE!

Produced by Nigel Godrich, alongside Arcade Fire’s husband and wife co-founders Win Butler & Regine Chassagne, and recorded in multiple locales including New Orleans, El Paso and Mount Desert Island, WE paradoxically distils “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever" (per Win Butler) into a concise 40 minute epic – one as much about the forces that threaten to pull us away from the people we love, as it is inspired by the urgent need to overcome them.

WE’s cathartic journey follows a definable arc from darkness into light over the course of seven songs divided into two distinct sides -- Side “I” channelling the fear and loneliness of isolation, and Side “WE” expressing the joy and power of reconnection.

On the album’s cover, a photograph of a human eye by the artist JR evokes Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy. This stunning image - embellished by the distinctive airbrush colour tinting of Terry Pastor (utilising the same physical technique he employed on David Bowie’s iconic HUNKY DORY and ZIGGY STARDUST covers) – is the visual expression of WE.

The Grammy award-winning band have been teasing their return this past week with some cryptic postcards sent to fans saying “WE missed you” alongside the sheet music to the new single. The band also did two intimate surprise pop up shows in New Orleans this week, the proceeds of which were donated to Plus1’s Ukraine Relief Fund. They went live on TikTok & Instagram during the first show in New Orleans, showcasing some new tracks.

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire
has grown from being a widely praised indie band to a worldwide success. Their intense, anthemic and multi-layered vision of indie rock has made them cherished by both the aficionados and a general music-loving audience. They are constantly pushing the envelope and developing towards new sounds, and this has led to them being labelled as “the most important band of the last decade” in the media.

It all started with the seminal debut album Funeral (2004), which was released to great critical acclaim and featured in numerous ‘album of the year’ lists. Every release since then – and we’re currently counting four albums in total – has managed to do just the same thing. Some might remember the year of 2011 when Arcade Fire took home a Grammy for best album and all the social networks asked who these Canadians were. Now everybody knows!

It’s been three years since the sprawling success of the Reflektor album. The Montreal six-piece is currently working on a follow-up, and word has it that the band is looking towards a disco sound.

Renowned as being one of the best live acts around, Arcade Fire manages to make everything sound like a mirror-ball party while having lyrics freighted with anxiety. The band delivers stirring, mob-handed climaxes in song after song, they have colourful stage wear, and previously they have even had specific dress codes for their shows (that would work at Roskilde, we’re sure!).

10 years after their first visit here, Arcade Fire is ready to take on Roskilde Festival’s Orange Stage in 2017. Don’t miss the cathedrals of sound from this Canadian collective.

This album contains no booklet.