THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pink Elephant is the seventh studio album by Arcade Fire (Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Jeremy Gara, Tim Kingsbury and Richard Reed Parry). Composed of 10 new tracks of cinematic mystical punk and clocking in at 42 minutes, Pink Elephant is produced by Butler, Chassagne and Daniel Lanois, and was recorded at Win and Régine’s Good News Recording Studio in New Orleans.
The Pink Elephant Paradox is the name for what happens when someone asks you not to think of a specific thing: You can’t help but think of it. Fittingly, when experienced in its entirety, Pink Elephant invites the listener on a sonic odyssey — a quest for life — that exists within the perception of the individual, a meditation on both darkness and light, the beauty within. The layers of this condensed epic unfold to reveal new dimensions with each successive listen.
First track Year Of The Snake is a joyous instant classic buoyed by the enveloping warmth of Régine’s vocals. It also features her Arcade Fire debut on bass, and Butler’s debut on drums. The song’s title refers to 2025 being the Lunar Year of the Snake, which represents a time for renewal, positive transformation and new beginnings. In keeping with this, the band shed their skin once again and are born anew — while still delivering the unique trademark sound of Arcade Fire.
The visuals for Year Of The Snake represent the creative outcome of a special project with the band’s longtime collaborator David Wilson, alongside video artist Mark Prendergast. Through psychedelic wanderlust and the spirit of indie cinema road epics, the video follows Win and Régine as they take the viewer on a voyage in their festively appointed 1990s Ford Aerostar. From New Orleans’ Mardi Gras to Houston’s rodeos, the viewer is pulled into a mystical quest, from carnivals to dormant railroad tracks and myriad points between. All roads eventually lead to Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch outside of Austin, where they debut Year Of The Snake under the full blood moon.
Pink Elephant is the first full-length collection of new Arcade Fire music since 2022’s We, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top U.S. Albums Sales Chart, while topping charts in the U.K., Ireland and Holland, and securing Top 5 positions in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland. Also topping the U.S. Rock, Alternative and Vinyl Billboard charts, We was nominated for a Best Alternative Album Grammy.”
