Arcade Fire live in London (Alberto Pezzali / Live4ever)
Win Butler has confirmed Arcade Fire are working on a new album.
Sharing a letter with fans on Instagram on the eve of his 40th birthday, Butler begins by thinking back to ten years previously when Arcade Fire were putting the finishing touches to their third studio record, The Suburbs.
“To the wonderful fans of Arcade Fire,” he writes. “ First of all, I’m sorry if at any time, I have taken for granted the incredible privilege it has been to perform for you and have you engage and listen to our music. On the eve of my 40th birthday, I find myself reflecting on my last big birthday; turning 30 (both excellent times to reflect).”
“We were in Austin completing vocals and finishing touches on The Suburbs. Will, Spike and I had been intensely working on the script that would become Scenes From The Suburbs. Trying to finish a record that was so intensely personal was overwhelming. I didn’t even have the energy to celebrate, but we still went to a little Tex Mex place (definitely my death row cuisine of choice). “I remember sitting in the fake leather booth, barely able to speak because of mental exhaustion, my true friends scattered all over the world and no where in sight, and thinking, ‘It feels pretty great to be here at 30’.”
“I was doing challenging work, with amazing band mates, making music I felt inspired by and driven to complete. I’m happy to report that at 40, I’m still pretty much in the same zone!”
He goes on to confirm the band had been working on new material before the coronavirus epidemic, and that since then, ‘the writing has intensified, and the work is flowing out’. This all follows the 15-second clip of music he shared on social media last week.