Arcade Fire – Year of the Snake

Arcade Fire returns with Year of the Snake, the first single from their upcoming album Pink Elephant. It marks the band’s first major release since 2022 and comes with plenty of baggage and even more ambition.

Musically, Year of the Snake leans into warmth, groove, and anxious optimism. Régine Chassagne sings lead while debuting on bass, and Win Butler trades his usual spot for the drums. It’s a minor shake-up, symbolic maybe, of a band trying to renew itself without pretending the past didn’t happen.

The song is built around change—seasonal, emotional, personal—and doesn’t shy away from discomfort. “If you feel strange, it’s probably good,” they sing, which is one way to frame midlife reinvention.

The production, handled in part by Daniel Lanois, adds a subtle cinematic edge—not overdone, just enough to keep things spacious. There’s movement, shimmer, and a hint of throwback idealism—like trying to hit restart without wiping the memory.

Year of the Snake is the band’s attempt to shed old skin. Whether it sticks will depend on the listener’s patience, but the music, at least, seems ready to evolve.