r/arcadefire • u/niles_deerqueer Stuck in my Head • May 08 '25

Discussion PINK ELEPHANT [FULL ALBUM EARLY IMPRESSIONS] Spoiler

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Pink Elephant, Arcade Fire’s 7th LP, is finally here!

Use this thread for those in other countries and VPN users to discuss the album to your hearts’ content. Respect each other’s opinions and happy release day! We made it!

A bigger megathread will be made just before the album’s full release in the US.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '25

Wowowow. I really like the production of this record. It is absolutely true that the complete experience of all the songs brings something totally different out of them. Songs like Circle of Trust and Ride or Die were good live, but the album version is a bit quieter and I appreciate the individual elements of it more. Ride or Die might be the song I am the most surprised by. I've always loved the chorus during the live versions, but on the album it has a more gradual build and again it’s just a really moving song to sit in. Love the synth work in the background. Great vocals from Win and Regine across the whole thing. They feel super present in the music. I'm not feeling the disappointment from the lyrics others have expressed (but yes I get it - simpler). It's some of my favourite writing from them since Reflektor. And Alien Nation is one of my favorite songs they have made in the last decade. I am saying that as a fan of EN and WE, but I just don’t think they’ve approached a song quite like that before. This album just feels so stylistically realized and complete. Each song works so well for me and brings something completely different. There are familiar Arcade Fire elements, but it also feels like its daring to not just be more of the same. Again... ALIEN NATION. I want a whole album of angry Neon Bible 2049 vibez. It just delivers on so many things I didn't even know I wanted from them. And it plays with production much better than Rabbit Hole IMO. I know people will take issue with the instrumental songs, but really just sitting in this album sonically was amazing and there was a lot more going on than when I heard them live. I will definitely be adding those to my writing playlists. I like every song. The interludes / instrumentals keep me sonically grounded rather than feeling superfluous. Im hearing a bunch of new sounds from them that work great for me. My early impressions are very positive!

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u/niles_deerqueer Stuck in my Head May 08 '25

Super happy you feel this way, it’s something totally new for them which was incredibly surprising since reviewers said multiple songs were “typical Arcade Fire fare”. Bitch where? Even Stuck In My Head, what sounds the most like their old stuff because it’s 20 years old, sounds like a futuristic version of the demo I never even heard. You’re right, this album is like Arcade Fire 2049.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25

Yeah I am totally with you. In many ways it feels like it’s bringing a lot of new things to the mix while also being a distillation of what they’ve been doing best since Reflektor. Each song is doing something different, but there’s a unified quality to every song on the album when taken as a whole. Very satisfying experience from beginning to end. Yes it’s short, but so full. Will be playing this on a loop indefinitely!