Arcade Fire unveil details of new album ‘WE’ and share expansive new single ‘The Lightning, I, II’

nme.com:

Arcade Fire have today (March 17) unveiled details of their new album ‘WE’ and shared new single ‘The Lightning, I, II’ – check it out below.The band’s sixth studio album will arrive on May 6 via Columbia Records and has been produced with long-term Radiohead collaborator, Nigel Godrich along with the band’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne.Speaking about the new album, Butler said creating it was “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever.”Described as a “concise 40 minute epic” in a statement, it contains seven songs and is “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”, according to a press release.It added: “‘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’ channeling the fear and loneliness of isolation and Side ‘WE’ expressing the joy and power of reconnection.”You can listen to the new track here:See the ‘WE’ tracklisting below:‘I’‘Age Of Anxiety I’‘Age Of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)’‘WE’‘End Of The Empire I-IV’‘The Lightning I, II’‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’‘Unconditional II (Race and Religion)’‘WE’The album’s cover art, which you can see above, is a photograph of a human eye by the artist JR.

A press release says it “evokes Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy.”The image has also been embellished by artist Terry Pastor, who utilised the same physical technique on this that he used when creating David Bowie’s iconic ‘Hunky Dory’ and ‘Ziggy Stardust’ covers.Butler also shared an accompanying note with news of the album which read: “My grandmother read me a book when I.