Arcade Fire are releasing a new single this Friday, 18th March. The track, titled ‘The Lightning I, II’, will be the Montréal band’s first release since their 2017 album, Everything Now.
The band announced the new single on social media, writing, “Our new song The Lightning I, II comes out on Thursday 2PM ET/11AM PT.” Assuming it’s released simultaneously around the world, it’ll come out at 5AM AEDT on Friday, 18th March.
The title of the new single recalls several tracks from the band’s back catalogue, such as ‘Half Light I’ and ‘Half Light II’, ‘Sprawl I’ and ‘Sprawl II’, and ‘Here Comes the Night Time’ and ‘Here Comes the Night Time II’.
The band, led by Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, played a benefit gig for Ukraine relief at New Orleans’ Toulouse Theatre on the evening of Monday, 14th March (US Central Standard Time). It was a pay-what-you-can affair, with all proceeds going to PLUS1’s Ukraine Relief Fund.
PLUS1 is a non-profit organisation that partners with artists, events and brands in the music industry. PLUS1’s Ukraine Relief Fund was created in partnership with Arcade Fire and The National and will send money to nonprofits providing “humanitarian aid, refugee support and access to critical information” for the people of Ukraine.
Arcade Fire played at the Toulouse Theatre on Sunday, 13th March, too. The setlist included two new songs – ‘Rabbit Hole’ and ‘Age of Anxiety’ – as well as songs from Funeral, Neon Bible, The Suburbs and Everything Now. It was the band’s first proper gig since a February 2020 performance at New Orleans’ Mahalia Jackson Theater.
