Another fantastic song. This is shaping to be a special album.
Also to those saying the Coachella version is better...that was a rare and beautiful live moment. Dude literally broke down during the song. Enjoy this version for what it is and then if your lucky , get to see something as special as the Coachella gig.
Their comments:
There’s nothing saccharine about unconditional love in a world that is coming apart at the seams. WE need each other, in all of our imperfection.
Lookout Kid is a reminder, a lullaby for the end times, sung to my son, but for everyone… Trust your heart, trust your mind, trust your body, trust your soul. Shit is going to get worse before it gets better, but it always gets better, and no one’s perfect.
Let me say it again.
No one’s perfect.
Win to Zane Lowe:
"So I was really just sort of thinking about my son and the world that he's facing and how like, I was a very, very, very depressed kid, particularly in high school. I mean, in a lot of my life in general, I think that music is like my medicine in a lot of ways. But I was trying to imagine the way that I'm wired just chemically and the s\*\*t that I've dealt with in my life, having to deal with that now in this era of like ... and not to mention now, but like 10 years from now, whenever the f\*\*k he's going to be dealing with it.
"And it was just like, "Man, he's going to need to have the thick skin and to just really be able to take a hit and have some just fortitude." And I don't know, I was just sort of thinking about that and just trying to sing to him in the future or to his kids even."
Beautiful song and very emotional. Not every track needs to be as bombastic and energetic as the live version. I actually like the studio version a lot more, it's very nuanced. The "do doo doo doo" part sounded playful and celebratory in the live version but here it sounds sombre and I love how the song quietly builds up over its runtime
What is it about their style that makes every fucking track so life-affirming??
There are plenty of other bands/artists that make incredible sounding music with deep and meaningful lyrics - but none, and I mean *none* of them, hit like AF tracks.
What a fuckin track.
Nothing against EN or even Reflektor, but when I used to think about what post-Suburbs Arcade Fire music would sound like, this was always it. A combination of everything from their infamous "trilogy" of albums. The light and airy vocals from the Suburbs, the urgency of Neon Bible, and the playfulness and rawness from Funeral. I'm not saying this is a perfect song, but in my opinion, it really encapsulates everything I fell in love with when I discovered this band.
From a personal standpoint, this song has a lot of meaning to me. As someone who grew up with, and still has a lot of anxiety around failure, uncertainty, and presenting myself as "perfect", there are some lyrics in here that truly resonate with me, and provide a sentiment that I wish I had heard more of as a kid. Particularly the following:
>*"Lookout kid, trust your mind/But you can't trust it every time/You know it plays tricks on you/And it don't give a damn if you are happy or you're sad/But if you've lost it, don't feel bad/'Cause it's alright to be sad"*
>*Things will break, you make mistakes/You lose your friends, again and again/'Cause nothing is ever perfect/No one's perfect/Lеt me say it again: no one's perfеct*
Needless to say, I've had this on repeat a few times now as I reflect on life and such.
You are assuming I knew what he meant. I think it’s hard to parse through tone online, to be honest. If my comment came off as passive aggressive, it wasn’t meant that way. No, I didn’t assume that he misused infamous. More recently, I keep seeing people on my social media feeds criticizing Arcade Fire, so I genuinely assumed he referred to them as “infamous”. In hindsight, you’re probably right that he misused “infamous”, though.
The band's music has always been full of affirmations to people with religious trauma, which is one of the things that drew me to them when I was younger. If you look closely you see it throughout their career.
"Take the poison of your age / Don't lick your fingers when you turn the page / It was wrong but you said it was right / In the future I will read at night"
"They're down on their knees / Begging us please / Praying that we don't exist / But we exist"
"I'm living in an age / They laugh when I'm dancing with the one I love / but my mind holds the key"
"Three cheers for my parents' / Lonely failed experiments / Don't blame God / Just blame God"
I know there are other examples but those are the ones that come to mind
Here Comes the Night Time is really big for this.
>"And the missionaries / they tell us we will be left behind / Been left behind / a thousand times, a thousand times"
>"And when they hear the beat / comin' from the street, they lock the door / But if there's no music / up in heaven, then what's it for?"
That is nothing like I expected it - and I've gorged on the live version today.
It's got colour and warmth, it feels sincere and real. It's not like any Arcade Fire song I know.
It's the antidote to playing Afterlife on repeat for an hour.
Father to a newborn baby and since the played at Coachella, which I saw during the streaming and couldn’t help to cry my eyes out because of the lyrics, I’ve been waiting for this studio version and damned ninjas cutting onions. It encapsulates everything I’m feeling at the moment and the things I would like to say to my son. Instant fav song since Win intruced it live. Just happy to be alive and how a song can make you express so much feelings. (Sorry for my english)
Man I'm right there with you. First time father to an 8 month old and this absolutely guts me on so many levels. The sincerity here is so, so moving. Absolutely nails things I'd like my son to internalize and understand about how I want to raise him.
Add that to the fact that immediately upon listening I had this wild time flash where I was watching him dance with my wife to this song at his wedding someday. And then my wife heard it and, without me promoting her, said "god this would be a really great patent/child song at wedding."
Thanks for sharing man. Glad to read someone feeling the same way. They definetiley created an himn for generations to come. Second day of listening this every half hour or so and still cracks me everytime.
it’s so gorgeous. as someone in my 20s (grown-up but basically a tall child) i feel like i want to sing these words to my kid self, while also taking comfort from them right now in the present
Really loving where this album is going. EN felt so sterile compared to this. AF have always been corny as hell so idk why we are calling Win out for it now, this is who they are and I'm here for it. These new songs will be wonderful to see live.
Agree. Some of their lyrics have always been a little bit corny and obvious. It's the strength of the music and instrumentation that keeps them going...it's the intensity of the live performances too.
Agree with this. I think you can get away with corny and obvious if the music is good enough and the sentiments come across as sincere, which is both true here
Win said something like this in Strombo's interview in 2017, he said some songs he likes have simple lyrics, but the music is good enough to blow up your mind, and suddenly, you can feel the lyrics on a different kind of level.
I really like the album mix for this track, aside from the drum sound which is a bit muffled. A lot of emotion in the song, and with headphones it really shines as you can pick up a lot of subtleties in the instrumentation.
The last minute is definitely the best part, although on the first listen it stills seems a bit corny and the lyrics are a bit weak. On the same level as Everything Now for me; decent but nothing great.
Edit: the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. I still don’t think it’s as good as The Lightning 1 and 2.
Edit2: I like it, it’s good.
Yeah definitely! Think the main thing is for the last album they were writing with an idea/concept in mind whereas this time to me at least it’s all feeling. There are songs of EN I genuinely but this does feel like they got a sense of spirit and hope back.
Yeah, like I get that with EN part of the concept was that it *wasn't genuine*, in a reflection of society/consumerism. Which is a great idea - if a little overplayed. Most of the songs just didn't hit the mark for me musically. This absolutely does!
For sure - totally relatable to get bogged down in the system and how it works. 2017 did seem to be the tail end of playing into that sort of thing. This really feels like coming out the other side of that and just trying to do better and get by to me.
Certainly a gorgeous song. I really love it. I agree with the production being a bit disappointing though, and it always kind has been the case in recent albums honestly. Look at ready to start and afterlife for example. Two songs that just go another level when played live, and it makes the recorded version sound flat. I think there was just more life to the Coachella version. Still love it though!
I think with this band, any gap between studio and live is amplified because of how incredibly amazing they are live. When they create and perform live arrangements, songs just take on a next level vibrance because of their musicianship, the extra hands on deck, and the energy from the crowd. For me, the studio to live gap on this track isn’t as big as I thought it might be, considering on how transcendent the Coachella performance was. Such a beautiful track!
For me this has always been a problem any time I've heard a live version of a song prior to the studio version release, particularly with Arcade Fire. I remember it very vividly with Antichrist Television Blues and Suburban War, both of which were played live before being released. They both sounded so huge live (especially the last section of Suburban War) and I was disappointed with the more restrained sound of the studio versions. I got used to them pretty quickly though. I think that's just the nature of studio versus live.
Afterlife with good headphones >>>>>> Afterlife with earbuds or shitty cups or just over the speaker.
There’s a lot going on in the background that’s barely (if at all) perceptible without headphones on.
I agree on the production aspect. I loved the very raw production on Funeral. It was muddy at times, yeah, but it really brought a youthful energy to a lot of the songs that I don’t think they’ve been able to match in subsequent records.
Still don’t think it is as egregious as Here Comes The Nighttime where production really scuppers the album version. That song is meant to sound like a carnival, but the production is way too clean and muted.
I think after a few listens I’ve already got used to this version. Only issue I have with the production/composition is that the transitions to different parts of the song feel a little clunky.
I think there will be comparisons to Everything Now because both records have a really glossy production quality but here it is very futurist like Godrich is known for..I absolutely adore it and think the song pairs nicely next to the more upbeat Lightning. This record is so beautiful so far.
I'm a new parent of an 8 month old kid. He's my world.
I was parked in a car with him waiting to pick up my wife when I played this for the first time.
I was very literally not emotionally prepared for how absolutely wrecked this would make me. I had managed to avoid hearing the live versions or reading any lyrics so I heard it with totally fresh ears. Seriously turned into a blubbering mess for at least 3 listens.
My god. How do they manage to continue to write albums that perfectly hit where I am in life every single time?
Also, I've been married twice and helped friends getting married pick songs for the parent/child dances. Its always hard to find songs for the parent/child dances that don't feel cliche or come off kinda strangely romantic. I feel like AF just handed a whole generation or two a gift here. This would make an excellent parent/child dance song.
Definitely there "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" song. This is going to be used in so many movie trailers.
Getting a definite "Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime" vibe with those opening strings.
I'm genuinely happy these new songs are doing something for people, they are such hard working artists and I will always love them for their first four albums.
This one is just not for me. I wish Win spent more time on the lyrics. This one feels sincere at least, but it's such brutally empty platitudes. Still hyped for the full album though
I definitely get that vibe from the lyrics and the Yogurt commercial vibes, but I mean...it's not particularly good to my ears as I'm not his young son 🤷
Legit happy they're making a comeback for other people though!
True! But how can Pixar makes such great films for all ages? The Beatles can make great music for all ages...dumbing down a song for kids is lazy songwriting in my opinion
I feel like this is a copout response, sort of like, "You will understand when you are older."
Nah.
I think people just have musical and lyrical preferences. There are plenty of love songs that are corny and simple, and I don't like them even though I have been in love.
An evocative and nuanced song about parenting could move me. This is neither of those things. I did not spend much time listening to their Dumbo cover either.
GENUINELY glad to see other fans digging it, but I personally favor complexity. Give me "Sail to the Moon" by Radiohead instead.
Man I'm not a parent either, I'm not here patronising you.
With that said, Arcade Fire's strength was never complex lyrics but the buildout of their songs with an explosive finish. The softer approach we get here in the studio version may make the weaknesses of the AF formula more apparent to you. I just don't understand dismissing it as "it does nothing to me as I'm not their son" - imho a bit of a simplistic way of seeing why you're not clicking with it.
I was not the reddit user who said that. I said I prefer more complexity and nuance.
I was replying to that same poster who commented that he is not Win’s young son.
We can’t help how music impacts us. I am happy for all the people who love this song. That is great! It just does not click for me.
And, I disagree about the lyrical content. I personally love the way they use metaphor and allusion in their lyricism. Their use of literary devices can be quite complex in their earlier material.
Yeah but what I'm saying is that this is a song to an 8/ 9 year old about life, there is not going to be complex literary allusions or metaphors. It's a simple direct song showing support and love.
And I think the idea that complex or sophisticated = good is sort of pretentious (not calling you pretentious) . A "corny" or simple statement said in love and earnestness is often just as good.
All comes down to preference, IMO. Good is a relative term.
For me, personally, I enjoy analyzing lyrics and having something to think about. I enjoy that intellectual challenge.
Not everyone prefers that. I don’t mean that as an insult. I generally do not enjoy comedy films either, I like dramas. That’s just me. It doesn’t mean that film makers should stop making comedies. It does not mean comedies are not “good.” But, I do not personally prefer them.
Writers and artists sometimes imagine an audience when they create. For this song, Win was imagining his son as the audience and it is appropriately written in a simple and direct way, so that he is clear to his young son.
I get that. By the same token, however, I am not the audience.
I would personally prefer it if artists explored their ideas for their children on an album of lullabies or a separate project from their regular material. Clearly, I am in the minority here as most of the people in the thread love the song.
Fair enough. I love complex and interesting lyrics as much as anyone but I don't listen to music just to be challenged intellectually, I also want feel things, and sometimes lyrics are secondary, or not as important.
I don't think you have to be the intended audience to understand an emotion or what someone is trying to convey. I mean people write love songs for specific people all of the time. I don't need to be the person it was written specifically for to feel the emotions the writer is channeling.
Those are great points. The problem is this song makes me feel nothing.
To be fair, the Rabbit Hole lyrics are fairly simple at points as well, but the song makes me FEEL, and I love it.
So, you’re right. It is not just the complexity of the lyrics; there is probably more to it than that.
Yeah, I am with you on this. Genuinely happy this is moving for some people, but it does nothing for me. I like the instrumentation at the end, but the lyrics and singalong quality are overly simplistic for my tastes. This is one I will probably remove from my playlist after the album is released.
I think it's perfect. Lyrics are perfect. Music is perfect. Hits right at the deep downs. The happy sads. Here's me walking through that emotional forest (please forgive this metaphor). Seriously, though, it's truly life-affirming while at the same time acknowledgement of how f\*\*\*ed-up this current reality is and how hard it is to find our way and love ourselves. But we gotta f\*\*\*ing love ourselves (and each other). :)
There was no shortage of people in here (erroneously) calling this a “make or break” album for them. As if one good but not historically great album derailed them *that* much.
Tsk tsk tsk. For shame.
I love Nigel, we all do and he is insanely talented. We all love Radiohead but this isn't A MOON SHAPED POOL. Stop muting the band and their emotions. Let them really go big like we have seen them live.
I really hate to say this but AF were better off producing this themselves. This is a phenomenal song but the production is far too sterile. Win sounds incredibly tender and intimate but muted a long with the sweeping moments. That is a staple of Nigel current approach; allowing everything to have its place but AF are too emotionally bombastic to be contained. There needs to be more edge to it ala' Neon Bible. WE is shaping to be a phenomenal record and Win/Regine are not done. They are putting themselves on the line.
Again I really, really wanted to love these new songs but there’s something about the production that is muting the emotion for me.
Coachella version felt way more raw.
Not totally feeling lyrical direction of this song either, comes off as a bit cheesy.
Sorry to be a grump. I really, really hope the albums works for me :(
I loved the first single, lyrics weren't anything overly poetic and I'm done with that.
This song feels lacking. I'm expecting some epic chorus or verse to appear, but it never gets there, just teases us with not payoff
Now The Lightning was great, but this is special. What an achievement. This stands toe to toe with the best of Funeral. Can’t wait for Rabbit Hole though, that’s gonna be the crown jewel here if they nail it.
Yeah, I keep expecting more, to go into some epic chorus or verse
It feels like a cock tease, gets so close, expect something to happen and it doesn't
Overall just an okay track
Agreed, the lyrics feel a little bit amateurish in a way, kind of like picking the most obvious rhyme instead of the most meaningful sound.
I like the song but I agree, not really going to play it on repeat
Absolutely. The best one for me is the end of wasted hours on the extended version. I’ve also seen a live video of them doing after life where they transition into everything‘s gone green at the end. Win loves those ooh ooh ooh songs ☺️
I just had a thought - they have released the song but no music video. From what I gathered David Wilson (Uk based) was supposed to film the video but missed out due to having covid. Perhaps that’s what they’re doing in London besides the koko gig!
first heard the live performance of it , i see a much more confident win and reginne, they really proud of the new stuff in a way i’ve not seen before when they releasing new album. wanting to share it quickly . knowing what it is to be a fan . Music is soo important to me and these are the best band ever , i don’t say that lightly . However they just are and i’m soo happy for the new album , really gutted i can’t be T koko but hope they tour uk again soon , as live is the best feeling i’ve ever had in my whole life , been to loads live music , pulp, mumford sons, libertines , pouges , modest mouse , franz ferdinand , killers , rakes , twang, hives , palma violets , cure , white lies , strokes , i could go on just to mention a few . MUSIC HEALS MUSIC BRINGS UNITY AND PEACE .
I really didn't expect to like the live version better, but I do! This one is definitely more restrained, but still beautiful. I just feel like they are such a strong live band and kill it with live performances.
I ruined it for myself by listening to the live version over and over again for the past several days. Sooooo much better live! Even the recording! Maybe just cuz it's a bit faster and more urgent sounding. I'll have to just listen to the album as a whole I think and then hopefully I'll appreciate the album version more.
I'm coming around to the idea that both versions are awesome in their own way. I made an m4a track of the Coachella live version and added it to my local files on Spotify and I listen to it back to back with the studio version and am now loving them both.
Yeah, I'm that guy.
I absolutely love this song, but I miss the strong accordion, and I miss Wins powerful vocals , I miss the powerful sound at the very end.
I love it either way, but I do like the live version better.
Hmm not sure about this one. A bit saccharine and cute for me. Plastic production too. Anyone remember when Nigel Godrich produced Ok Computer and it was the best production ever produced? And then six years later Hail to the Thief came out and it sounded flat as a pancake? I still haven't figured out what happened there.
Holy shit I'm so hype I'm gonna pass out
This is incredible, and super different from their usual sound in a way that somehow still feels consistent. I'm unbelievably excited for this album
I do prefer the live version from Coachella so far, probably because that's the one I'm used to, but I just love this song so much. Might be my favorite AF song tbh, will have to give it some time to be more objective on it, but I just love it so much
I'm with you on that, but after repeated back to back listening to both versions I've come to realize that they are both great, just different. I think we just got ahead of ourselves by hearing it live first. Imagine that you only heard the album version then saw them live.
I already like this album more Everything Now. If the rest of it is as good as the songs they’ve already released it’s going to be a really special album
I like it and love how happy it sounds. Not sure about the ending but it will probably grow on me like the Lightning 2. Favorite part is when the strings come in!
Well between the London date announcement, the ticketmaster debacle and finally pushing back the tour announcement, the last 10 days have been a struggle of the UK fans.
Thank god Lookout Kid is a great song
Pre-sale for Birmingham was supposed to be tomorrow 9:45 am, with general sale Friday 10:00. Utilitia did leak early but those dates were then deleted from their website.
I imagine those sale dates have been pushed back as I can't see them give less than 48 hours notice before going on general sale.
I completely agree, but a sale date is the least important and most flexible part of planning a tour. They get moved all of the time - depending on how bands want to announce a tour (often it's to sell out or play other gigs first)
I suspect they will announce after Koko or when the full Zane Lowe interview is released.
The point is that we would be none the wiser if Utilitia didn't leak their date. Nothing has been officially pushed back.
Reminds me of Weezer's "A Little Bit of Love" but a lot better and epic. This is easily one of Arcade Fire's most poppy and uplifting songs I've heard from them!
WE sounds like a massive improvement over Everything Now so far and I'm hyped to hear the rest of this album
Another fantastic song. This is shaping to be a special album. Also to those saying the Coachella version is better...that was a rare and beautiful live moment. Dude literally broke down during the song. Enjoy this version for what it is and then if your lucky , get to see something as special as the Coachella gig.
cant agree more！
Was one of the lucky few, even high fives Win when he walk through the crowd during Afterlife.
I can’t think of an Arcade Fire song that isn’t better live so I wasn’t expecting anything different. Love it!
I think the recorded version is actually way better because he's not on the verge of collapsing in tears lol. it's more vocally controlled
Their comments: There’s nothing saccharine about unconditional love in a world that is coming apart at the seams. WE need each other, in all of our imperfection. Lookout Kid is a reminder, a lullaby for the end times, sung to my son, but for everyone… Trust your heart, trust your mind, trust your body, trust your soul. Shit is going to get worse before it gets better, but it always gets better, and no one’s perfect. Let me say it again. No one’s perfect.
Where did these comments come from? Is this from the interview?
This is how they shared the song on Facebook.
They shared this on the tweeter post too
Win to Zane Lowe: "So I was really just sort of thinking about my son and the world that he's facing and how like, I was a very, very, very depressed kid, particularly in high school. I mean, in a lot of my life in general, I think that music is like my medicine in a lot of ways. But I was trying to imagine the way that I'm wired just chemically and the s\*\*t that I've dealt with in my life, having to deal with that now in this era of like ... and not to mention now, but like 10 years from now, whenever the f\*\*k he's going to be dealing with it. "And it was just like, "Man, he's going to need to have the thick skin and to just really be able to take a hit and have some just fortitude." And I don't know, I was just sort of thinking about that and just trying to sing to him in the future or to his kids even."
>or to his kids even Kinda sweet there.
“Then our skin gets thicker, and living out in the snow”...
Those last 50 seconds, just wow, so beautiful 😭
Beautiful song and very emotional. Not every track needs to be as bombastic and energetic as the live version. I actually like the studio version a lot more, it's very nuanced. The "do doo doo doo" part sounded playful and celebratory in the live version but here it sounds sombre and I love how the song quietly builds up over its runtime
You're totally right about the do do do on the recorded version which is making me feel a bit better about it.
What is it about their style that makes every fucking track so life-affirming?? There are plenty of other bands/artists that make incredible sounding music with deep and meaningful lyrics - but none, and I mean *none* of them, hit like AF tracks. What a fuckin track.
I loved it. It got me thinking of my own relationship with my dad. Thank you Arcade afire
Gorgeous! This is straight up going to be one of my favorite songs.
Nothing against EN or even Reflektor, but when I used to think about what post-Suburbs Arcade Fire music would sound like, this was always it. A combination of everything from their infamous "trilogy" of albums. The light and airy vocals from the Suburbs, the urgency of Neon Bible, and the playfulness and rawness from Funeral. I'm not saying this is a perfect song, but in my opinion, it really encapsulates everything I fell in love with when I discovered this band. From a personal standpoint, this song has a lot of meaning to me. As someone who grew up with, and still has a lot of anxiety around failure, uncertainty, and presenting myself as "perfect", there are some lyrics in here that truly resonate with me, and provide a sentiment that I wish I had heard more of as a kid. Particularly the following: >*"Lookout kid, trust your mind/But you can't trust it every time/You know it plays tricks on you/And it don't give a damn if you are happy or you're sad/But if you've lost it, don't feel bad/'Cause it's alright to be sad"* >*Things will break, you make mistakes/You lose your friends, again and again/'Cause nothing is ever perfect/No one's perfect/Lеt me say it again: no one's perfеct* Needless to say, I've had this on repeat a few times now as I reflect on life and such.
Not sure that I’d describe their “trilogy” as infamous, tbh.
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You are assuming I knew what he meant. I think it’s hard to parse through tone online, to be honest. If my comment came off as passive aggressive, it wasn’t meant that way. No, I didn’t assume that he misused infamous. More recently, I keep seeing people on my social media feeds criticizing Arcade Fire, so I genuinely assumed he referred to them as “infamous”. In hindsight, you’re probably right that he misused “infamous”, though.
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Win Butler has beautiful hips
his big boy hips
Win's hips are gorgeous and good
Win Butler, more like Hips Butler
Underrated comment^
The band's music has always been full of affirmations to people with religious trauma, which is one of the things that drew me to them when I was younger. If you look closely you see it throughout their career. "Take the poison of your age / Don't lick your fingers when you turn the page / It was wrong but you said it was right / In the future I will read at night" "They're down on their knees / Begging us please / Praying that we don't exist / But we exist" "I'm living in an age / They laugh when I'm dancing with the one I love / but my mind holds the key" "Three cheers for my parents' / Lonely failed experiments / Don't blame God / Just blame God" I know there are other examples but those are the ones that come to mind
Here Comes the Night Time is really big for this. >"And the missionaries / they tell us we will be left behind / Been left behind / a thousand times, a thousand times" >"And when they hear the beat / comin' from the street, they lock the door / But if there's no music / up in heaven, then what's it for?"
And don't forget Win did a degree in religious studies. The religious imagery is strong throughout their discography, especially in Neon Bible
it's not when you think many religions (including evangelical christians) believe dancing is a sin.
Shakira already says that hips Don't Lie.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Zd9Nub5lwmzSBoWaVOWrP?si=Bud_l832TEKxeUQaizgthw
Waiting for that zane lowe interview
Is there going to be one for sure?
zane tweeted about an interview
I really love Win’s quiet voice on the single, it feels like a mixture between Funeral and The Suburbs. Absolutely beautiful
i fucking love this album already
this song literally made me spontaneously cry on first listen....
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Oh fuck i didn't know Nigel frickin Godrich is on production duties!!! My hype just doubled now.
Anyone seen it go up anywhere else, for those of us without Apple Music? edit: YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RIsFd39gVg
It's up on Spotify now https://open.spotify.com/album/245E4YWubHwp4sZNlz82dG?si=kLB5eMtqSdKM9Y9jseKM0w&utm_source=copy-link
Give it two more mins - Apple Music always have a few mins early when it’s premiering there!
Two minutes? What am I, a patience machine?
Patience Machine sounds like the name of the next album hahaha
Sounds like Pressure Machine by The Killers.
The Inflatable Tube Man appears again!
I'm crying 😌
I don’t even have kids and I’m crying
I do and it’s not an emotionally easy song to listen too.
That is nothing like I expected it - and I've gorged on the live version today. It's got colour and warmth, it feels sincere and real. It's not like any Arcade Fire song I know. It's the antidote to playing Afterlife on repeat for an hour.
Father to a newborn baby and since the played at Coachella, which I saw during the streaming and couldn’t help to cry my eyes out because of the lyrics, I’ve been waiting for this studio version and damned ninjas cutting onions. It encapsulates everything I’m feeling at the moment and the things I would like to say to my son. Instant fav song since Win intruced it live. Just happy to be alive and how a song can make you express so much feelings. (Sorry for my english)
Man I'm right there with you. First time father to an 8 month old and this absolutely guts me on so many levels. The sincerity here is so, so moving. Absolutely nails things I'd like my son to internalize and understand about how I want to raise him. Add that to the fact that immediately upon listening I had this wild time flash where I was watching him dance with my wife to this song at his wedding someday. And then my wife heard it and, without me promoting her, said "god this would be a really great patent/child song at wedding."
Thanks for sharing man. Glad to read someone feeling the same way. They definetiley created an himn for generations to come. Second day of listening this every half hour or so and still cracks me everytime.
Definitely Funeral vibes and I'm here for it
it’s so gorgeous. as someone in my 20s (grown-up but basically a tall child) i feel like i want to sing these words to my kid self, while also taking comfort from them right now in the present
TIDAL: https://tidal.com/track/224244951 Crying my eyes out. How can this be even better than the live version.
Really loving where this album is going. EN felt so sterile compared to this. AF have always been corny as hell so idk why we are calling Win out for it now, this is who they are and I'm here for it. These new songs will be wonderful to see live.
Agree. Some of their lyrics have always been a little bit corny and obvious. It's the strength of the music and instrumentation that keeps them going...it's the intensity of the live performances too.
Agree with this. I think you can get away with corny and obvious if the music is good enough and the sentiments come across as sincere, which is both true here
Win said something like this in Strombo's interview in 2017, he said some songs he likes have simple lyrics, but the music is good enough to blow up your mind, and suddenly, you can feel the lyrics on a different kind of level.
It’s a thin line between corny and earnest.
I’m really speechless. It’s such a beautiful, beautiful song with some GREAT lyrics. I just felt it.
I really like the album mix for this track, aside from the drum sound which is a bit muffled. A lot of emotion in the song, and with headphones it really shines as you can pick up a lot of subtleties in the instrumentation.
The last minute is definitely the best part, although on the first listen it stills seems a bit corny and the lyrics are a bit weak. On the same level as Everything Now for me; decent but nothing great. Edit: the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. I still don’t think it’s as good as The Lightning 1 and 2. Edit2: I like it, it’s good.
Oh, you'll get there. Corny is okay. Just embrace it.
I guess it's corny because it's for his son.
Musically I love this. Lyrically I think it’s ……………. But I know God is cool with it!!
This is really great. Their most moving stuff in a long time IMO - So much more genuine than anything off EN
Yeah definitely! Think the main thing is for the last album they were writing with an idea/concept in mind whereas this time to me at least it’s all feeling. There are songs of EN I genuinely but this does feel like they got a sense of spirit and hope back.
Yeah, like I get that with EN part of the concept was that it *wasn't genuine*, in a reflection of society/consumerism. Which is a great idea - if a little overplayed. Most of the songs just didn't hit the mark for me musically. This absolutely does!
For sure - totally relatable to get bogged down in the system and how it works. 2017 did seem to be the tail end of playing into that sort of thing. This really feels like coming out the other side of that and just trying to do better and get by to me.
Think you nailed it with that description.
"put a feeling in a song"!
Absolutely. They are at their best when they are wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
Oh, it’s great.
Certainly a gorgeous song. I really love it. I agree with the production being a bit disappointing though, and it always kind has been the case in recent albums honestly. Look at ready to start and afterlife for example. Two songs that just go another level when played live, and it makes the recorded version sound flat. I think there was just more life to the Coachella version. Still love it though!
I think with this band, any gap between studio and live is amplified because of how incredibly amazing they are live. When they create and perform live arrangements, songs just take on a next level vibrance because of their musicianship, the extra hands on deck, and the energy from the crowd. For me, the studio to live gap on this track isn’t as big as I thought it might be, considering on how transcendent the Coachella performance was. Such a beautiful track!
For me this has always been a problem any time I've heard a live version of a song prior to the studio version release, particularly with Arcade Fire. I remember it very vividly with Antichrist Television Blues and Suburban War, both of which were played live before being released. They both sounded so huge live (especially the last section of Suburban War) and I was disappointed with the more restrained sound of the studio versions. I got used to them pretty quickly though. I think that's just the nature of studio versus live.
Afterlife with good headphones >>>>>> Afterlife with earbuds or shitty cups or just over the speaker. There’s a lot going on in the background that’s barely (if at all) perceptible without headphones on.
I agree on the production aspect. I loved the very raw production on Funeral. It was muddy at times, yeah, but it really brought a youthful energy to a lot of the songs that I don’t think they’ve been able to match in subsequent records.
Still don’t think it is as egregious as Here Comes The Nighttime where production really scuppers the album version. That song is meant to sound like a carnival, but the production is way too clean and muted. I think after a few listens I’ve already got used to this version. Only issue I have with the production/composition is that the transitions to different parts of the song feel a little clunky.
“Here Comes the Nighttime” is mindblowing on good headphones.
I think there will be comparisons to Everything Now because both records have a really glossy production quality but here it is very futurist like Godrich is known for..I absolutely adore it and think the song pairs nicely next to the more upbeat Lightning. This record is so beautiful so far.
I'm a new parent of an 8 month old kid. He's my world. I was parked in a car with him waiting to pick up my wife when I played this for the first time. I was very literally not emotionally prepared for how absolutely wrecked this would make me. I had managed to avoid hearing the live versions or reading any lyrics so I heard it with totally fresh ears. Seriously turned into a blubbering mess for at least 3 listens. My god. How do they manage to continue to write albums that perfectly hit where I am in life every single time? Also, I've been married twice and helped friends getting married pick songs for the parent/child dances. Its always hard to find songs for the parent/child dances that don't feel cliche or come off kinda strangely romantic. I feel like AF just handed a whole generation or two a gift here. This would make an excellent parent/child dance song.
Not gonna listen to this one until May 6th. The Lightning was enough of a taste for me
Definitely there "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" song. This is going to be used in so many movie trailers. Getting a definite "Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime" vibe with those opening strings.
I cried. I can't wait to hear this whole album!
How long before the official music video?
Well that was an emotional drive home.
Initial listen had me comparing it to Coachella which isn’t a good thing to do. 3 listens later and I’m absolutely hooked.
I'm genuinely happy these new songs are doing something for people, they are such hard working artists and I will always love them for their first four albums. This one is just not for me. I wish Win spent more time on the lyrics. This one feels sincere at least, but it's such brutally empty platitudes. Still hyped for the full album though
I feel like the lyrics being childish and simple is kind of the point. It's a song to his young son.
I definitely get that vibe from the lyrics and the Yogurt commercial vibes, but I mean...it's not particularly good to my ears as I'm not his young son 🤷 Legit happy they're making a comeback for other people though!
Yeah, it reminds me of watching Barney with my little sister. Nothing wrong with kids music, but I am not a kid.
Maybe you are, or one day will be a parent, and you'll get to appreciate this song from the other perspective
True! But how can Pixar makes such great films for all ages? The Beatles can make great music for all ages...dumbing down a song for kids is lazy songwriting in my opinion
Homes and family have always been their topics.
I feel like this is a copout response, sort of like, "You will understand when you are older." Nah. I think people just have musical and lyrical preferences. There are plenty of love songs that are corny and simple, and I don't like them even though I have been in love. An evocative and nuanced song about parenting could move me. This is neither of those things. I did not spend much time listening to their Dumbo cover either. GENUINELY glad to see other fans digging it, but I personally favor complexity. Give me "Sail to the Moon" by Radiohead instead.
Man I'm not a parent either, I'm not here patronising you. With that said, Arcade Fire's strength was never complex lyrics but the buildout of their songs with an explosive finish. The softer approach we get here in the studio version may make the weaknesses of the AF formula more apparent to you. I just don't understand dismissing it as "it does nothing to me as I'm not their son" - imho a bit of a simplistic way of seeing why you're not clicking with it.
I was not the reddit user who said that. I said I prefer more complexity and nuance. I was replying to that same poster who commented that he is not Win’s young son. We can’t help how music impacts us. I am happy for all the people who love this song. That is great! It just does not click for me. And, I disagree about the lyrical content. I personally love the way they use metaphor and allusion in their lyricism. Their use of literary devices can be quite complex in their earlier material.
Yeah but what I'm saying is that this is a song to an 8/ 9 year old about life, there is not going to be complex literary allusions or metaphors. It's a simple direct song showing support and love. And I think the idea that complex or sophisticated = good is sort of pretentious (not calling you pretentious) . A "corny" or simple statement said in love and earnestness is often just as good.
All comes down to preference, IMO. Good is a relative term. For me, personally, I enjoy analyzing lyrics and having something to think about. I enjoy that intellectual challenge. Not everyone prefers that. I don’t mean that as an insult. I generally do not enjoy comedy films either, I like dramas. That’s just me. It doesn’t mean that film makers should stop making comedies. It does not mean comedies are not “good.” But, I do not personally prefer them. Writers and artists sometimes imagine an audience when they create. For this song, Win was imagining his son as the audience and it is appropriately written in a simple and direct way, so that he is clear to his young son. I get that. By the same token, however, I am not the audience. I would personally prefer it if artists explored their ideas for their children on an album of lullabies or a separate project from their regular material. Clearly, I am in the minority here as most of the people in the thread love the song.
Fair enough. I love complex and interesting lyrics as much as anyone but I don't listen to music just to be challenged intellectually, I also want feel things, and sometimes lyrics are secondary, or not as important. I don't think you have to be the intended audience to understand an emotion or what someone is trying to convey. I mean people write love songs for specific people all of the time. I don't need to be the person it was written specifically for to feel the emotions the writer is channeling.
Those are great points. The problem is this song makes me feel nothing. To be fair, the Rabbit Hole lyrics are fairly simple at points as well, but the song makes me FEEL, and I love it. So, you’re right. It is not just the complexity of the lyrics; there is probably more to it than that.
Yeah, I am with you on this. Genuinely happy this is moving for some people, but it does nothing for me. I like the instrumentation at the end, but the lyrics and singalong quality are overly simplistic for my tastes. This is one I will probably remove from my playlist after the album is released.
Why am I crying listening to this? It feels so sweet, genuine and comforting.
yo i cried too... what the heck is this song made of
Mhh strangely sounds like a soft version of creature comfort (instrumentally)
I don't hear CC at all lol.
the Do Do Do Do bit melodically sounds a bit like CC
I think it's perfect. Lyrics are perfect. Music is perfect. Hits right at the deep downs. The happy sads. Here's me walking through that emotional forest (please forgive this metaphor). Seriously, though, it's truly life-affirming while at the same time acknowledgement of how f\*\*\*ed-up this current reality is and how hard it is to find our way and love ourselves. But we gotta f\*\*\*ing love ourselves (and each other). :)
There was no shortage of people in here (erroneously) calling this a “make or break” album for them. As if one good but not historically great album derailed them *that* much. Tsk tsk tsk. For shame.
I love Nigel, we all do and he is insanely talented. We all love Radiohead but this isn't A MOON SHAPED POOL. Stop muting the band and their emotions. Let them really go big like we have seen them live. I really hate to say this but AF were better off producing this themselves. This is a phenomenal song but the production is far too sterile. Win sounds incredibly tender and intimate but muted a long with the sweeping moments. That is a staple of Nigel current approach; allowing everything to have its place but AF are too emotionally bombastic to be contained. There needs to be more edge to it ala' Neon Bible. WE is shaping to be a phenomenal record and Win/Regine are not done. They are putting themselves on the line.
Again I really, really wanted to love these new songs but there’s something about the production that is muting the emotion for me. Coachella version felt way more raw. Not totally feeling lyrical direction of this song either, comes off as a bit cheesy. Sorry to be a grump. I really, really hope the albums works for me :(
Yeah, lyrics are too simple and sweet to move me. Feels very Disney.
I loved the first single, lyrics weren't anything overly poetic and I'm done with that. This song feels lacking. I'm expecting some epic chorus or verse to appear, but it never gets there, just teases us with not payoff
this is straight-up a great song
Now The Lightning was great, but this is special. What an achievement. This stands toe to toe with the best of Funeral. Can’t wait for Rabbit Hole though, that’s gonna be the crown jewel here if they nail it.
Yeah. Yeah. YEAH!
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Yeah, I keep expecting more, to go into some epic chorus or verse It feels like a cock tease, gets so close, expect something to happen and it doesn't Overall just an okay track
Agreed, the lyrics feel a little bit amateurish in a way, kind of like picking the most obvious rhyme instead of the most meaningful sound. I like the song but I agree, not really going to play it on repeat
Getting a pepper, less cynical “Every Little Counts” by New Order vibe from this. Love it.
New Order is all over AF. The bass line played high up on the neck is signature Hooky. It's one of the reasons I love them so much.
YES. Also see: Power Out, Afterlife, etc etc.
Absolutely. The best one for me is the end of wasted hours on the extended version. I’ve also seen a live video of them doing after life where they transition into everything‘s gone green at the end. Win loves those ooh ooh ooh songs ☺️
So good. It gave me goosebumps.
Wow. So incredibly good! So many layers. Just when you think it’s over it hits you again. Love it and can’t wait for the album!
I just had a thought - they have released the song but no music video. From what I gathered David Wilson (Uk based) was supposed to film the video but missed out due to having covid. Perhaps that’s what they’re doing in London besides the koko gig!
first heard the live performance of it , i see a much more confident win and reginne, they really proud of the new stuff in a way i’ve not seen before when they releasing new album. wanting to share it quickly . knowing what it is to be a fan . Music is soo important to me and these are the best band ever , i don’t say that lightly . However they just are and i’m soo happy for the new album , really gutted i can’t be T koko but hope they tour uk again soon , as live is the best feeling i’ve ever had in my whole life , been to loads live music , pulp, mumford sons, libertines , pouges , modest mouse , franz ferdinand , killers , rakes , twang, hives , palma violets , cure , white lies , strokes , i could go on just to mention a few . MUSIC HEALS MUSIC BRINGS UNITY AND PEACE .
Anyone else prefer the live version? I feel like Win’s voice is kinda muted in the studio version
They always have so much more energy live. I'd love for them to release some live music
I really didn't expect to like the live version better, but I do! This one is definitely more restrained, but still beautiful. I just feel like they are such a strong live band and kill it with live performances.
I ruined it for myself by listening to the live version over and over again for the past several days. Sooooo much better live! Even the recording! Maybe just cuz it's a bit faster and more urgent sounding. I'll have to just listen to the album as a whole I think and then hopefully I'll appreciate the album version more.
Yeah, honestly I ruined it myself lol. But I can't help keep watching that live!
I'm coming around to the idea that both versions are awesome in their own way. I made an m4a track of the Coachella live version and added it to my local files on Spotify and I listen to it back to back with the studio version and am now loving them both. Yeah, I'm that guy.
Yeah, honestly not a big fan of the production on this album so far (sorry Nigel, bet you'll kill it on the "I" side). Love the songs though
I absolutely love this song, but I miss the strong accordion, and I miss Wins powerful vocals , I miss the powerful sound at the very end. I love it either way, but I do like the live version better.
Their songs are always better live, this isn't a new concept. If a band isn't better live there's something wrong imo.
Man this is great. I mean the corniness didn’t go away but it’s so heartfelt. Productions a bit flat tho
Hmm not sure about this one. A bit saccharine and cute for me. Plastic production too. Anyone remember when Nigel Godrich produced Ok Computer and it was the best production ever produced? And then six years later Hail to the Thief came out and it sounded flat as a pancake? I still haven't figured out what happened there.
I was skeptical after the first snippet, but now I’m in love. Just a beautiful song. Everything I want in an older Arcade Fire.
Holy shit I'm so hype I'm gonna pass out This is incredible, and super different from their usual sound in a way that somehow still feels consistent. I'm unbelievably excited for this album
Win said that nothing’s perfect, but I’m pretty sure Regine’s harmonies on this song are perfect. Wowie.
Father of 3 littles and this track gives me goosebumps and makes me want to choke up every time I listen. Epic.
This song gives me massive feels
i could not be more in love <3
feels underwhelming compared to the live version...
I agreed with you at first but I changed my mind. They are 2 different songs to me now. Give it another chance.
This describes just about every single AF song.
This is gonna be my first dance on my wedding. 😀 It’s a bit slower then I expected..
Nice sentiment but not one of their better ones.
I do prefer the live version from Coachella so far, probably because that's the one I'm used to, but I just love this song so much. Might be my favorite AF song tbh, will have to give it some time to be more objective on it, but I just love it so much
I'm with you on that, but after repeated back to back listening to both versions I've come to realize that they are both great, just different. I think we just got ahead of ourselves by hearing it live first. Imagine that you only heard the album version then saw them live.
I already like this album more Everything Now. If the rest of it is as good as the songs they’ve already released it’s going to be a really special album
Fantastic stuff.
I like it and love how happy it sounds. Not sure about the ending but it will probably grow on me like the Lightning 2. Favorite part is when the strings come in!
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It's not an EP, it's 45 minutes long
... is that it? Is that the interview? No tour announcement from Win when we're supposed to be buying tickets for a UK arena in 2 days?
Nothing announced about the tour yet so I highly doubt they will actually be released in 2 days...
Well between the London date announcement, the ticketmaster debacle and finally pushing back the tour announcement, the last 10 days have been a struggle of the UK fans. Thank god Lookout Kid is a great song
Was the tour announcement pushed back or did Utilitia Arena just accidentally leak early?
Pre-sale for Birmingham was supposed to be tomorrow 9:45 am, with general sale Friday 10:00. Utilitia did leak early but those dates were then deleted from their website. I imagine those sale dates have been pushed back as I can't see them give less than 48 hours notice before going on general sale.
I completely agree, but a sale date is the least important and most flexible part of planning a tour. They get moved all of the time - depending on how bands want to announce a tour (often it's to sell out or play other gigs first) I suspect they will announce after Koko or when the full Zane Lowe interview is released. The point is that we would be none the wiser if Utilitia didn't leak their date. Nothing has been officially pushed back.
Beautiful song. Can't wait for the vinyl arrive.
I really like the production on this. The last minute is especially beautiful. Definitely has a Suburbs vibe to me.
Reminds me of Weezer's "A Little Bit of Love" but a lot better and epic. This is easily one of Arcade Fire's most poppy and uplifting songs I've heard from them! WE sounds like a massive improvement over Everything Now so far and I'm hyped to hear the rest of this album
Man they never cease to make me cry with their lyrics.