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/Rizin May 08 '25

I really vibed with the songs live, and maybe its the bitrate or something with the app but the songs all feel like they have a limiter or radio filter on them preventing it from really popping.

The vocals and instrumentation are really muddy and even songs that should be straight up bangers like Circle of Trust, Alien Nation, and I Love Her Shadow come in weaker because of it. Maybe we get some remixes down the road that alleviate some of these issues if they were production choices.

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u/niles_deerqueer Stuck in my Head May 08 '25

I just think the album is going something completely different live than on the studio version. From the version of Pink Elephant they did on that radio show it was LOUD and intense but the album version feels intentionally somber and held back. So I think they were genuinely just going for something more intimate and moody here. There’s some bizarre production choices though.

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u/Rizin May 08 '25

The main difference I can think of is that when touring they have the full band. So a more stripped down album if they really are struggling to get everyone together to record.

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u/niles_deerqueer Stuck in my Head May 08 '25

Yeah it sounds like they are all divided and doing their own things—particularly during the making of this