We (Arcade Fire album) explained

We
Type:studio
Artist:Arcade Fire
Cover:WE (Arcade Fire).png
Caption:Standard cover
Recorded:2020–2021
Studio:RAK Studios (London)
Wack Formula (London)
The Crow's Nest Studios (London)
Boombox Studios (New Orleans, LA)
Marigny Recording Studio (New Orleans, LA)
Dockside Studio (Maurice, LA)
Sonic Ranch Studios (Tornilo, TX)
Length:40:18
Label:Columbia
Producer:
Prev Title:Her (Original Score)
Prev Year:2021

We is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released through Columbia Records on May 6, 2022. Produced by Nigel Godrich and band members Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, it was recorded in studios in New Orleans; in El Paso, Texas; and on Mount Desert Island in Maine. The album takes its name from the Russian dystopian novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It was the final album by Arcade Fire to feature multi-instrumentalist Will Butler, who departed the band in 2022.

Preceded by the singles "The Lightning I, II" and "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)", We received generally positive reviews from music critics and achieved moderate commercial success. It debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 32,000 album-equivalent units (26,500 of which were sales of the full album) in its first week of release, and went to number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal. The album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.[1]

Background

In April 2020, Win Butler posted a letter to his Instagram account indicating that work on a new Arcade Fire album had commenced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the writing continued during the lockdown measures. He noted that he had written a song entitled "Age of Anxiety" before the pandemic, and that many of the themes he had begun to explore felt appropriate, given the circumstances surrounding the pandemic.[2] Later that month, Butler shared some snippets of the new material.[3]

On October 21, 2020, Butler commented about Arcade Fire's sixth album during an interview for the Broken Record podcast.[4] The band had been writing for a year before the COVID-19 lockdown, and, during the lockdown, Butler kept working and wrote "two or three" new albums.[5] Arcade Fire planned to record the album in Texas "during the election".[6]

According to the producer, Nigel Godrich, We was recorded "in the middle of nowhere" outside El Paso, Texas, during the COVID-19 lockdown. He said: "[We] basically lived in a cult for a couple of months. Nobody came in and nobody came out, people delivered the shopping, that sort of vibe just so we could be able to do it. It was a method to make it possible."[7]

Composition

Musically, We shifts "smoothly and deliberately" between "gentle" folk rock and "grooving" dance-pop.

The track “Unconditional II (Race and Religion)” features backing vocals by Peter Gabriel.[8]

Promotion and release

On April 14, 2021, Arcade Fire released a 45-minute instrumental piece entitled "Memories of the Age of Anxiety" on the meditation app Headspace.[9]

In March 2022, fans received postcards marked with the band's logo. The postcards included the note "WE missed you" above musical notations on the front, and an image of an eye with the word "Unsubscribe" written below it on the back. Those same images began to appear in signage around London and on the band's social media pages, indicating the album's impending release.[10]

On March 14, the band announced that a new song titled "The Lightning I, II" would be released on March 17.[11] In concert with the release of the single, it was announced that the album would be titled We and released on May 6, 2022, and that it was produced by Nigel Godrich, Win Butler, and Régine Chassagne, and recorded in studios in New Orleans; in El Paso, Texas; and on Mount Desert Island in Maine. The cover artwork featuring a photograph by French artist JR with airbrush color tinting by Terry Pastor was also revealed.[12] Later in March, Will Butler announced he had amicably left the band after the new album was completed in late 2021.[13]

The day after the release of the album, the band appeared on Saturday Night Live. They played "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" and "The Lightning I, II", as well as "End of The Empire II" over the closing credits.

The album was released in Dolby Atmos.

Critical reception

We was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize[14] and nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, marking Arcade Fire's fifth top-ten debut on the chart. During its first week of release in the US, it earned 32,000 album-equivalent units, of which 26,500 came from sales of the full album, 5,000 came from 6.43 million on-demand official streams of songs from the album, and 500 came from 5,000 paid downloads of individual tracks from the album.[15]

Track listing

All tracks written by Win Butler and Régine Chassagne; additional writing on "Unconditional II (Race and Religion)" by Will Butler.

Digital track listing
CD/vinyl track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the full album credits, with track numbers corresponding to the digital release.[16]

Arcade Fire

Additional musicians

Production

Artwork

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 69
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 166
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[19] 29

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List. Lee. Taila. November 15, 2022. Grammys.com. November 15, 2022.
  2. Web site: Arcade Fire Say "Work Is Flowing" on New Album. . April 14, 2020.
  3. Web site: Win Butler shares more snippets of a new Arcade Fire song. . April 30, 2020.
  4. Web site: All Episodes. Broken Record.
  5. Web site: Win Butler gives update on Arcade Fire album: "I think you'll be surprised". . October 22, 2020.
  6. Web site: Win Butler hints that Arcade Fire have written "two or three" albums in quarantine. October 21, 2020.
  7. Web site: Doherty . Niall . 2022-07-27 . Lost in music: Nigel Godrich . subscription . 2022-07-27 . The New Cue . en-GB.
  8. News: Gordon . Jeremy . 2022-04-22 . How Arcade Fire Found a Way Back . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-05-06 . 0362-4331.
  9. Web site: Arcade Fire Share 45-Minute Song for Headspace Meditation App. Evan. Minsker. Pitchfork. April 21, 2021. April 15, 2021.
  10. Web site: Arcade Fire Fans Receive Teaser Postcards With Music Notation. Rachel. Brodsky. Stereogum. March 5, 2022. March 3, 2022.
  11. Web site: Arcade Fire Releasing 'The Lightning I, II,' First New Song in 5 Years. Pitchfork. Madison. Bloom. March 14, 2022. March 14, 2022.
  12. Web site: 2022-03-17 . Arcade Fire Announce New Album WE, Share Video for New Song "The Lightning I, II" . 2022-03-17 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  13. Web site: Corcoran . Nina . Will Butler Says He's Left Arcade Fire . Pitchfork . 19 March 2022 . 19 March 2022.
  14. Allie Gregory, "Here's the 2022 Polaris Music Prize Long List". Exclaim!, June 14, 2022.
  15. Bad Bunny's 'Un Verano Sin Ti' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. May 15, 2022. May 16, 2022.
  16. Web site: Minsker . Evan . Arcade Fire Release New Album WE: Listen and Read the Full Credits . Pitchfork . May 6, 2022 . Pitchfork Media . 6 May 2022.
  17. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2022. Ultratop. nl. January 14, 2023.
  18. Web site: Rapports annuels 2022. Ultratop. fr. January 14, 2023.
  19. Web site: Top 100 Álbuns - Semanas 1 a 52 – De 31/12/2021 a 29/12/2022. Audiogest. 1. pt. February 1, 2023.

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