Arcade Fire the Lightning I II video we

WATCH: The new Arcade Fire video, “Lightning I, II” from their next album WE

The band’s sixth album will be released on May 6.

After a long period of silence, a bunch of Arcade Fire news and even some new music dropped today, including a music video for the song “Lightning I, II.” This is the first single from the forthcoming Arcade Fire album WE, to be released on May 6. The album was produced by Nigel Godrich and recorded in El Paso, Texas.

Arcade Fire singer Win Butler released the following statement on social media about the new single.

“The emotion in the vocal was inspired by the Haitian immigrants that were amassing on the U.S. border, after boarding ships from Haiti and walking from as far as Brazil for a chance of freedom, only to be met with whips and dogs and officers on horseback.”

—Win Butler, Arcade Fire

Butler also referenced how the pandemic inspired the song, and the dramatic timing of the making of the video.

“It was peak COVID. El Paso was the epicentre in the U.S. at that time, they were using prison inmates to move bodies to the overfull morgues, because the healthcare system was completely overwhelmed.

“I’ll never forget finishing the take and walking straight to our outdoor communal space where we had screwed a television into a tree so we could watch election results outside, to see the news that Trump had lost the election.

“The video, directed by our friend (and fellow Montreal DIY seen alum) Emily Kai Bock, expresses the feeling of the last two years: trying to make grand plans only to have the storms of life force you to improvise.”

—Win Butler, Arcade Fire

Watch the video for “Lightning I, II,” directed by Emily Kai Bock, below.

WATCH: The new Arcade Fire video, “Lightning I, II” from their next album WE

For more music coverage, please visit the Music section.