Pink Elephant (Arcade Fire album)
| Pink Elephant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Standard cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 9, 2025 | |||
| Length | 42:16 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Arcade Fire chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pink Elephant | ||||
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Pink Elephant is the seventh studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on May 9, 2025 on Columbia Records.[1][2][3] Produced by band members Win Butler and Régine Chassagne and producer Daniel Lanois, the album was preceded by the singles "Year of the Snake" and "Pink Elephant".[4][5][6]
The album received mixed reviews from critics. It also commercially underperformed, failing to chart on the Billboard 200 entirely in the United States.[7]
Background
[edit]On March 13, 2025, Arcade Fire debuted several new songs at Willie Nelson's Luck Reunion in Texas as a surprise guest.[8] In April, the band began to preview snippets of new material on a new fan club mobile app named Circle of Trust. On April 5, Arcade Fire released a music video for the song "Cars and Telephones", which was reworked from a 2001 demo that preceded the formation of the band. The song did not make the final tracklist for Pink Elephant.[9]
The album's lead single "Year of the Snake", named after the year on the Chinese zodiac that 2025 falls under, was released on April 8.[10] A second single, "Pink Elephant", was released on April 25.[6]
On April 14, the band announced a short North American tour, beginning on April 22 in Mexico City and ending on May 5 in Philadelphia.[11]
On May 10, the band was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "Year of the Snake" and "Pink Elephant".[12]
On June 9, the band was the musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing "Circle of Trust".
Commercial performance
[edit]Pink Elephant failed to chart on the Billboard 200 in the United States, becoming the band's first album to do so. Hugh McIntyre of Forbes described the absence as "quite shocking", writing "Arcade Fire has never before seen one of its proper full-lengths fail to reach the tally."[7]
Previously, Arcade Fire's lowest-charting album was Funeral, which reached No. 123 when it was released in 2004. Pink Elephant debuted at No. 10 on the Top Album Sales chart, selling 6,200 pure album purchases, No. 49 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, and No. 12 on the Vinyl Albums chart.[7]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 55/100[13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [15] |
| MusicOMH |  [16] |
| Pitchfork | 5.5/10[17] |
| Rolling Stone | [18] |
| Slant Magazine | [19] |
| Sputnikmusic | 1.5/5[20] |
Pink Elephant was met with mixed reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]
Many reviewers noted the significance of Pink Elephant as the first album since the sexual misconduct allegations against Butler in 2022, which he vehemently denied.[21] Will Dukes of Rolling Stone described the album as "a cathartic manifesto in miniature" and deemed it "sweet, enticing, and direct".[18] Lewie Parkinson-Jones of Slant Magazine was less positive in his review, criticizing the lyrics as "problematic" and "remarkably tone-deaf" and considering Pink Elephant less substantial than the band's previous releases.[19] In contrast, Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph gave the album 4/5 stars, writing "[Pink Elephant] is almost too personal, like listening to a preacher begging for forgiveness from his flock. Yet the sheer power of Arcade Fire in full flight should be enough to restore any sinner's faith in rock and roll."[15]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Win Butler and Régine Chassagne.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Open Your Heart or Die Trying" | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Pink Elephant" | 4:44 |
| 3. | "Year of the Snake" | 5:10 |
| 4. | "Circle of Trust" | 6:05 |
| 5. | "Alien Nation" | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Beyond Salvation" | 1:20 |
| 7. | "Ride or Die" | 4:08 |
| 8. | "I Love Her Shadow" | 5:29 |
| 9. | "She Cries Diamond Rain" | 1:21 |
| 10. | "Stuck in My Head" | 7:23 |
| Total length: | 42:16 | |
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from Tidal.[22]
Arcade Fire
[edit]- Win Butler – synthesizer (tracks 1–5, 7–10), vocals (2–5, 7–10), bass guitar (2, 4, 8, 10); background vocals, electric guitar (2, 5); drums, percussion (3, 4, 8); drum machine (3, 5); acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar (3); theremin (5, 6), cowbell (5); timpani, Wurlitzer piano (7); organ (8); cymbals, Mellotron (10)
- Régine Chassagne – synthesizer (tracks 2–7), vocals (2–5, 7–9), bass guitar (2–4, 7), drums (2, 8, 10), pedal steel guitar (3), programming (4, 8), theremin (5, 6), Mellotron (6, 8, 9); bells, glockenspiel, timpani (10)
- Jeremy Gara – drums (tracks 5, 8, 10), synthesizer (10)
- Tim Kingsbury – bass guitar (track 5), acoustic guitar (10)
- Richard Reed Parry – electric guitar (tracks 2, 5, 10), bass guitar (10)
Additional musicians
[edit]- Daniel Lanois – percussion (tracks 3, 4, 6–8, 10), pedal steel guitar (3)
- Dan Boeckner – electric guitar (tracks 2, 5)
- Micah Nelson – electric guitar (track 3)
- Brian Blade – drums (tracks 4, 8)
- Sarah Neufeld – violin (tracks 6, 8–10)
- Marley Mackey – synthesizer (track 6)
Technical personnel
[edit]- Daniel Lanois – production
- Win Butler – production
- Régine Chassagne – production
- Gerardo "Jerry" Ordonez – co-production, mixing (tracks 1–8, 10), engineering
- Eric Heigle – co-production (tracks 1–8, 10), additional engineering (1–8)
- John Krischer – additional engineering (track 8)
- Maria Paula Mariño – engineering assistance (tracks 2–4, 10)
- Emily Eck – engineering assistance (track 5)
- Marc Olivier-Germain – mastering
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] | 8 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 3 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] | 8 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] | 60 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] | 26 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[28] | 37 |
| French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP)[29] | 5 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] | 11 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[31] | 45 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[32] | 45 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[33] | 9 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] | 4 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[36] | 18 |
| US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[37] | 49 |
References
[edit]- ^ Dunworth, Liberty (April 8, 2025). "Arcade Fire return with euphoric single 'Year Of The Snake' and announce new 'Pink Elephant' album details". NME. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Dailey, Hannah (April 8, 2025). "Arcade Fire Announces New Album 'Pink Elephant' & Shares Lead Single 'Year of the Snake': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (April 8, 2025). "Arcade Fire Return With 'Pink Elephant,' First Album in Three Years, New Single and Video". Variety. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Hunter, Lauren (April 8, 2025). "Arcade Fire confirm new album 'Pink Elephant'". Far Out. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Rigotti, Alex (April 8, 2025). "Arcade Fire announce new album 'Pink Elephant' on fan club app". NME. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Skinner, Tom (April 25, 2025). "Arcade Fire share title track from new album 'Pink Elephant'". NME. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c McIntyre, Hugh. "What Happened To Arcade Fire's New Album?". Forbes. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
- ^ "Arcade Fire Debut Songs From New Album At Luck Reunion". Stereogum. March 14, 2025. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Burton, Poppy (April 5, 2025). "Arcade Fire share video for new song 'Cars and Telephones'". NME. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ "Arcade Fire Attempt Comeback with New Album │ Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Pearis, Bill. "Arcade Fire announce spring tour dates, Brooklyn Paramount included". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Vaillancourt, William (May 11, 2025). "'SNL': Watch Arcade Fire Perform 'Pink Elephant,' 'Year Of The Snake'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ a b "Pink Elephant by Arcade Fire". Metacritic. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Yeung, Neil Z. (May 9, 2025). "Pink Elephant Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ a b McCormick, Neil (May 9, 2025). "Arcade Fire, Pink Elephant: an assured comeback from the brink of cancellation". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Livesey, Donovan (May 8, 2025). "Arcade Fire - Pink Elephant | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Cohen, Ian (May 15, 2025). "Arcade Fire: Pink Elephant". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ a b Dukes, Will (May 8, 2025). "Arcade Fire Keep Moving Forward Together". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Parkinson-Jones, Lewie (May 5, 2025). "Arcade Fire Pink Elephant Review: A Dubious and Disjointed Effort". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Foss, Dakota West (May 8, 2025). "Review: Arcade Fire - Pink Elephant | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Hogan, Marc (August 27, 2022). "Arcade Fire's Win Butler Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Multiple Women; Frontman Responds". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ "Pink Elephant / Arcade Fire / Credits". Tidal. May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Arcade Fire Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Top 200 Albums du semaine 20, 2025" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums du semaine 20, 2025" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 20 (dal 09.05.2025 al 15.05.2025)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 20 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 2. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ "Arcade Fire Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
