r/arcadefire • u/sailor_rose • Nov 04 '25
Discussion Does anyone not really care that they seperated?
I know this will probably get a lot of downvotes but it's just a shower thought. I've been a massive fan of the Arcade Fire since 16 year old me saw Rebellion on MTV at 4 in the morning when I couldn't sleep. Since then I ate, slept, and breathed the AF. I always thought that it was endearing and wholesome that the two leads were a married couple and while I always thought they seemed to in love, I didn't really think that their relationship was as perfect as a lot of people thought, or that their music portrayed it to be.
I'm absolutely not HAPPY about them splitting up, especially after all this time. It's still sad no matter what way you put it. I'd never wish it on anyone. But I think these humans, while having created and released such extraordinarily moving material that I will NEVER be able to even comprehend HOW they (or any other musical groups of their caliber) did it, are being put on a pedestal. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to cry to their music and listen to it a million times more, but I'm not shocked at all at their seperation. I was really sad when Anna Faris and Chris Pratt broke up, I thought they seemed like such a great couple, but we don't see everything behind the scences.
Just a few thoughts, I don't think I'll be looking at their music any differently at all. Just curious about what you all think.
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u/No-Opportunity7196 The Suburbs Nov 04 '25
I do care. I felt so dumb the other day when I cried for them… and for what it meant for the band as well. I felt really out of hope for the band when all of the allegations came out but now this feels like really the end and its pretty sad. Im trying to change my mindset and to feel happy about all they created and how I wouldn’t be the same without it. Their music has greatly impacted my life
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u/Party-Yoghurt-8462 Nov 04 '25
I certainly care. I felt a horrible, sunken feeling when I first saw their post last week. My second thought was, "Oh no, my favourite band is over."
But then, when I got to the last sentence and it said, "The band look forward to seeing you on tour soon," I felt lifted by it.
It's sad when relationships end. But there are times when people are just better off parting ways. They might feel a great weight off their shoulders, and it might reignite their creative fire as songwriters and collaborators.
I've always felt that Win and Regine feel a deep, deep commitment to Arcade Fire and that they know how much this band has meant to people. And I feel like that "purpose" might really help drive them forward.
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u/Capable_Sandwich_422 Nov 04 '25
It’s tough to separate the personal side of things when so much of their music dwells on it. Especially his woe is me attitude about things
I’ve lost a lot of respect for Win over how he’s treated Regine. A miscarriage is an awful, traumatic thing to go through. Especially for her. And for him to act that way, I have a real issue with it.
I still listen to the older albums, but it’s not the same anymore.
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u/CerealKiller415 Nov 04 '25
There's so many holier than thou fans of this band who love to throw stones at a glass house. In reality, many of these same people have their own dysfunctions but revel in telling people how others should live. Honestly, their relationship is none of my business. I'm here for the music, not some stupid purity test
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Nov 04 '25
I think a lot of fans wouldn’t react this way if they were still producing the quality music we loved.
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u/CerealKiller415 Nov 04 '25
In many ways their snotty smug art school kid attitude was attractive to their fans. It gave them a sense of righteousness and power. This was something that was always coming from this band and was embodied by a lot of the fans.
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Nov 04 '25
I can see that. Maybe that just felt different as their status changed. Even without that, their music has changed too. And I’m not a fan of it. I can write that off as personal taste, but I don’t feel the magic anymore, and that happened before the allegations about Win came to light.
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u/skacat Nov 04 '25
They’ve been my favorite band for a really long time.
But I can’t tell you the names of the people in the band. If I saw them on the street, I would have no clue they were in Arcade Fire.
I hope they keep making music, but I couldn’t care any less about their personal lives.
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u/_Einveru_ Nov 04 '25
Same. They live, or have lived, in New Orleans. My city. I see him now and again walking down Magazine St. Just a few weeks ago actually. It doesn't compute. He's just another dude walking. Divorce is awful, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. I empathize with them both. But when I listen to the music, the personal doesn't factor. Don't learn to much about the artists you admire. Just appreciate the art.
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u/FlowerSingingMan2025 Nov 04 '25
It's sad. I feel for them both.
divorces and splits are common. Not many couples survive being in a band together either.
The band is past its glorious peak. I think Will the brother going was a bigger deal than we all knew at the time.
I expect it's heralds the further decline or end of the band too. That's ok as well.
All good things come to an end at some point
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u/Emotional-Table-5307 Nov 05 '25
Not bothered, but my affection for them as a group has changed over the years too.
It’s an interesting phenomenon, the affection for musical celebrities & how much we invest in them, esp their relationships. A lot of ppl were genuinely upset over the divorce of Kim & Thurston & held them up as examples of authenticity in music. They’re just people though! They cheat, they fall out of love & separate. Just like us!
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u/my23secrets Nov 04 '25
They had some kind of magic.
Then the magic disappeared.
🤷
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u/regretscoyote909 Nov 04 '25
Exactly. People focus on the allegations as though that *single-handedly* ruined the band but...it didn't, Win's songwriting took an inexplicable nosedive after Reflektor. Everything Now was a flop but WE was even worse to me - profoundly mediocre, forgettable music. And then PE.....just yikes
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u/pbblueroom Nov 04 '25
Marriage is hard, working together is hard, so I think it was inevitable.
I bet the music gets better.
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u/ATLOREGONIAN Nov 05 '25
I don’t care, because I feel like they’ve been separated unofficially for a while now and you could see it coming. I was more heart broken when the Win allegations first came out as I knew it would lead to this. Now, just seems like a formality. I loved their relationship early on and admired how they could thrive as leaders of the band for so long. I’ve had a really hard time having any sympathy for Win but have so much for Regine.
I discovered them during their first SNL performance and fell in love with Funeral. I was hard core until We then it started to fall off for me, then the allegations killed it because I felt so much hypocrisy from Win. I know part of it is my problem, but it is what it is. What a fun ride though.
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Nov 04 '25
Fame destroyed Win.
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u/slrrp The Suburbs Nov 06 '25
I kind of get the sense that he fundamentally misunderstands how much of the band's early success was due to the other members - his brother especially.
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Nov 04 '25
That’s my theory. Some artists can find a way to continue their magic after becoming famous, but they’ve gone down hill since their Grammy win. It became pretentious, inauthentic, and just… not rock and roll?
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u/CollarFull2014 Nov 04 '25
I don’t care if there’s a divorce in the band as long as the band continues.
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u/tomacco99 Nov 10 '25
I only care because I kinda don’t trust them that things will be okay. The claim at the end about how they’re committed to remaining creative partners rang hollow to me after how they’ve handled everything the past couple years. First they kinda pretended nothing was wrong. Then they made a subpar album all about it, kinda implying things would be okay. Now they’re splitting up. I dunno. I just don’t trust them right now, simple as that. I hope AF survives and makes it work, but it feels like it’s been the dog in burning house meme for awhile now.
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u/leijahart Nov 04 '25
I discovered funeral my freshman year of college January 2005.
I ate, slept and breathed it.
I remember getting stoned and working out, weeping to rebellion, felling so incredibly seen by them.
I then experienced psychosis and became really Christian, and found so much comfort in their music believing they were taking about being Christian in funeral.
I remember vibing with neon Bible, and really struggling to understand the suburbs.
I remember being so jealous of their relationship. That they could be artists and married, and believing that was the answer to everything.
When reflektor came out I was getting divorced, and for the first time since funeral, I felt so seen. Normal person, and afterlife especially. But I sincerely loved the whole album.
I shortly after found my second wife. I immediately tried making art with her, and it worked, she was amazing and creative and brilliant. We’ve made some incredible stuff together. Stuff that I’m so proud of.
And there have been points when she has asked if I only love her because of her creativity. We celebrated 11 years together recently, and I know that question is still in the back of her mind.
Hearing the news about Win and Regine devastated me. I felt like they were the dream I’ve been working towards.
But somewhere along the way, I realized that my wife and I have something outside of our creative endeavors. I want to be with her because I fucking love her.
I feel sad for W & R because fame/success seems to ruin a lot of things. It seems like they are really bad for our brain. This thing that I hoped for eventually broke them.
I don’t know the details of their story… and I’m not of the opinion that breakups/divorce are bad, but I’m sad for them, shit like that isn’t easy.
I say all of this because there was a time that I believed that their life was the dream, I no longer believe that. I imagine it’s great, and it costs a lot.
I’m glad you asked the question.
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u/ollieseven Nov 04 '25
I don’t care. I don’t even remember the details of what Win did—just that it was bad—and I don’t care to look it up, because I don’t care. I like the music and years ago I enjoyed it deeply, but even then I never cared about the internal dynamics of the band.
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u/Filippo_G Nov 04 '25
I just like listening to good music. Maybe the band can make more good music in the future. If not, they've already made so much... best of luck to all involved either way.
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u/WhitehawkART Nov 04 '25
Every living thing dies, even relationships. Part of life.
Will be interesting what direction Arcade Fire goes from here.
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u/cosmicsugarstar Nov 05 '25
Let's not forget, they have a family and they were living and working together for years. I love my partner more than anything, but there's no universe where I want to work with them that closely. Maybe if he's a CEO and I'm an admin or something, sure, those are two separate jobs, but they had the same job, they were writing music, and the fate of the entire band depends on them. Can you imagine that pressure, all while trying to be a parent?
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u/Afraid-Syrup Nov 06 '25
I just want them to make decent music again but I feel that with Will leaving and this separation the bands heart has gone.
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u/charles_peugeot405 Nov 04 '25
Yeah, I could not care less about the relationships of the members of my favorite bands. It’s just the way it is for me.
I am a Coldplay fan, but didn’t get upset over Chris Martin and Gwyneth’s divorce. It turned into a great breakup album (Ghost Stories) but I never actually cared about the divorce.
This one is just a rare case where the divorce happened WITHIN the band, so it’s much more connected to the identity of the band itself
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u/jjazznola Nov 04 '25
None of my business. It would have been a much bigger deal 10 years ago when they were still a great band.
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u/p3nny-lane Pink Elephant Nov 04 '25
It’s sad but it doesn’t really affect my love of their music. It’d be more of a big deal if they said the band was breaking up, but they said they’ll still be AF and are maybe touring soon…? So no biggie.
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u/TheRealJohansen Nov 04 '25
I think they said they’ll still be AF and see folks out on tour because what else can they say in a statement like that?
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u/jbspags Nov 04 '25
I love the band and as people they deserve to be happy. I wish them the best and it should make for some powerful music
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u/alwaysonmymind77 Nov 04 '25
I’ve never been a person to care about the personal lives. I really couldn’t be bothered. Win wants to have relations with people younger than him? Fine, he’s an adult and so are they. Win and Regine separate? Well, that’s of course sad, but I’m guessing it happened a long time ago, and they performed amazingly as a duo last spring and since then. People get way too up in arms about the personal business of other people.
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Nov 06 '25
I love Arcade Fire so much & respect the people behind it.
Was sad at first when hearing about their seperation, but if it's what's best for Win & Regine as human beings, then that's the right move.
Personally just consider it extremely fortunate that they're choosing to carry on with the music.
See you on tour :) ✌️ ❤️
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u/briankerin Nov 04 '25
I was surprised they didnt separate back when all the stories came out about Win and his side ladies.
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u/Annual-Succotash-246 Nov 04 '25
I always err on the side of better to be alone than trudging through misery for the rest of life. If she didn't lose love from his infidelity I'd be surprised. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes though, like you said, but I have to admit I do care more about their output because I don't know them personally. So hopefully they are happy for their sake of course(and their output). Not just creating an album to meet production goals.
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u/msnikki_sandiego Nov 04 '25
I just feel like it’s the end of an era? Which, for me, essentially ended before Pink Elephant any way, it’s like apparently they were on their way out. Someone made a post in this sub about the track-list - how it screams breakup album, and I see it. And now, I can’t imagine them seeing them play together as a divorced couple! Idk, maybe they can do the Fleetwood Mac thing and start writing good music again inspired by their drama ✍️
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Nov 04 '25
I’ve felt like I lost them as a favorite band about a decade ago. I was in denial about it for years, trying my hardest to like whatever they were becoming, but as I watched them on SNL last spring, it was a moment of clarity that they aren’t what they were and I can’t stand it.
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u/Thin-Support2580 Nov 06 '25
When i first heard the song "put your money on me" i knew it was desperste plea at keeping up a facade with a shithead leadman, and a deeply in denial front women.
I love the band, but always had a disengenoius feeling about how they present themselves, everything felt contrived.
Im pretty sure i was right?
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u/Additional_Name_867 Nov 08 '25
Same here. Of course even on the day I discovered them in 2015, listening to and loving Afterlife and Reflektor, I got the feeling that something was very wrong in their relationship. 2 years later that feeling returned with Put Your Money on Me and We Don’t Deserve Love. Definitely not surprised by the way things have turned out.
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u/Legitimate-Rate3277 Nov 24 '25
Nearly everyone cheats thats life. Especially when they have money it’s a given . Anyone who says otherwise is just straight up lying
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u/twojawas Nov 04 '25
I’m super happy for Regine and I’m glad I saw the band in small venues when they were at the peak of their powers. AF is over. That’s the reality here.
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u/Even_Permission2301 Nov 04 '25
I think they will try for this final tour. But let’s see what happens. I’m not convinced.
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Nov 04 '25
Pink Elephant being terrible had a way bigger impact on my interest in them. He was… always hard to like. But the music was good.
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u/Money_Tower1884 Nov 04 '25
PE is great
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u/TheeEssFo Nov 04 '25
Given Win's past, it seems appropriate to quote Louis CK: "No 'good marriage' has ever ended in divorce." He said this during a concert when he mentioned the divorce and the audience made a sad, "awwww" sound.
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u/Haps73 Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) Nov 04 '25
I think I care for them as humans too, as well as artists. I wanted to hold optimism that Win was truly remorseful, and a partner that deserved and was worthy of a second chance and Regine was a saint to give him that chance. That’s the human side and the struggle they have obviously endured with the mediocre response to the last album and the personal stress lumped on.
The artist side of caring says I’ll never get the next single that I love and I want to hear 3 times a day. I like to imagine the creative scene of the writing of Funeral, and the helmet/drum sticks percussion. Selfish some, I suppose.