Arcade Fire share title track from new album ‘Pink Elephant’

Arcade Fire have shared the title track from their upcoming seventh album, ‘Pink Elephant’. Listen below.

• READ MORE: Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral’ at 15: the album that killed indie rock as we knew it

The Canadian band are due to release the follow-up to 2022’s ‘WE’ on May 9, and have already dropped the lead single ‘Year Of The Snake’.

Today (April 25), Win Butler and co. have further previewed their next record. The Pixies-esque ‘Pink Elephant’ song sees the group continue with their more restrained, guitar-focused approach.

“Take your mind off me a little while/ In the darkest place I saw you smile/ And the way it all changed/ Makes me wanna cry, but/ Take your mind off me, yeah,” Butler sings in the atmospheric chorus.

Speaking about the track on Arcade Fire’s Circle Of Trust app, the frontman explained: “When you feel like you’re making a record, sometimes a song contains the universe, that you know other songs – even if they haven’t shown up yet – are gonna show up. ‘Cause they’re related to the universe of that song.

“It’s like, if you’re in a desert and you find a well. It’s the only well in that part of the desert. And you see one animal walk up – you know other animals are nearby, ’cause everyone’s coming to the same well. If you find that one exotic creature, other songs are gonna come to hang out in the same place.”

His wife and bandmate Régine Chassagne then compared the ‘Pink Elephant’ single to the ‘Reflektor’ and ‘The Suburbs’ title tracks, and how they unlocked those albums’ respective worlds.

Additionally, it’s been announced that Arcade Fire will be performing on Saturday Night Live on May 10. They’ll appear as the musical guests, with The White Lotus‘ Walton Goggins on hosting duties.

In February, the band took to the stage with David Byrne and St. Vincent to cover David Bowie‘s ‘Heroes’ during the 50th-anniversary celebrations of SNL.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arcade Fire (@arcadefire)

Arcade Fire had debuted the ‘Pink Elephant’ single at Willie Nelson’s Luck Festival last month. This week, they kicked off their new era with two special shows in Mexico City – where they showcased cuts from their new album and fan favourites.

Prior to the first gig, the group announced that Richard Reed Parry wouldn’t be joining the tour due to paternity leave.

Further live dates are scheduled in New Orleans, Montreal, Toronto, New York and Philadelphia. Next month, Arcade Fire will play a one-off UK date at the historic Royal Albert Hall in London.

The full ‘Pink Elephant’ record will see the band adopt a “cinematic mystical punk” sound. It spans 42 minutes and comprises 10 new songs, all of which were recorded at Butler and Chassagne’s own Good News Recording Studio in New Orleans. Pre-order/pre-save here.

‘Pink Elephant’ marks the first Arcade Fire album since allegations of sexual misconduct arose against Butler in 2023. Four people came forward to accuse the singer of inappropriate behaviour, and the accusations also led to Feist leaving the band’s tour early. Butler responded to the allegations in a lengthy statement, claiming he was “very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behaviour” but maintaining that “these relationships were all consensual”.

The tracklist for Arcade Fire’s ‘Pink Elephant’ is:

1. ’Open Your Heart Or Die Trying’
2. ’Pink Elephant’
3. ’Year Of The Snake’
4. ’Circle Of Trust’
5. ’Alien Nation’
6. ’Beyond Salvation’
7. ’Ride Or Die’
8. ‘I Love Her Shadow’
9. ’She Cries Diamond Rain’
10. ’Stuck In My Head’

The post Arcade Fire share title track from new album ‘Pink Elephant’ appeared first on NME.