Arcade Fire Teases ‘Pink Elephant’ Album with “Year of the Snake” Single

Pink Elephant is the seventh studio album by Arcade Fire (Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Jeremy Gara, Tim Kingsbury, and Richard Reed Parry), and will be released on May 9th, 2025, via Columbia Records. Pink Elephant‘s arrival is preceded by the first single “Year of the Snake,” available now across all digital platforms and as a video.

Composed of ten new tracks of cinematic mystical punk and clocking in at 42 minutes, Pink Elephant is produced by Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, and Daniel Lanois and was recorded at Win and Régine’s own Good News Recording Studio in New Orleans.

The term “pink elephant” refers to that paradoxical effect where the effort to suppress a thought leads to it being impossible to avoid.

When experienced in its entirety, Pink Elephant invites the listener on a sonic odyssey – a quest for life – that exists within the perception of the individual, a meditation on both darkness and light, the beauty within. The layers of this condensed epic unfold to reveal new dimensions with each successive listen.

First track “Year of the Snake” is a joyous instant classic buoyed by the enveloping warmth of Régine’s vocals and features her Arcade Fire debut on bass, and Win Butler’s debut on drums. The song’s title refers to 2025 being the Lunar Year of the Snake, which represents a time for renewal, positive transformation and new beginnings as the band sheds its skin once again and is born anew – delivering the unique trademark sound of Arcade Fire.

The visuals for “Year of the Snake” represent the creative outcome of a special project with the band’s longtime collaborator, David Wilson, alongside video artist Mark Prendergast. Through psychedelic wanderlust and the spirit of indie cinema road epics, the video follows Win and Régine as they take the viewer on a voyage in their festively appointed 1990s Ford Aerostar. From New Orleans’ Mardi Gras to Houston’s rodeos, the viewer is pulled into a mystical quest, from carnivals to dormant railroad tracks and myriad points between. All roads eventually lead to Willie Nelson‘s Luck Ranch outside of Austin, where they debut “Year of the Snake” under the full blood moon.

This week also marks the debut of the Circle of Trust app – a resource for Arcade Fire news, music, videos, early access to tickets, exclusive merch, and the premiere episode of “Santa Pirata Radio,” where the band speak directly to fans and offer personal insights and behind the scenes info on all things Arcade Fire. The Circle of Trust app features the exclusive release of the track “Cars and Telephones” and its accompanying video. This previously unreleased rarity is Win’s first composition that he ever played for Régine.

The Circle of Trust app can be downloaded HERE.

In the coming days, Arcade Fire will announce special gigs in select cities where the band will perform Pink Elephant in its entirety prior to its release. Fans should stay tuned to the band’s socials for more information on these intimate performances.

Pink Elephant is the first full-length collection of new Arcade Fire music since 2022’s WE, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top U.S. Albums Sales, #1 in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, plus Top 5 positions in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland. Also topping the U.S. Rock, Alternative and Vinyl Billboard charts, WE was nominated for a “Best Alternative Grammy” and described by Variety as “a remarkable new 40-minute opus of intimate depth and profound candour,” by Uncut as “a triumphant restatement of purpose” and The Telegraph as “brilliantly ambitious… Arcade Fire rule the world.”

Arcade Fire ‘Pink Elephant’ album artwork

Pink Elephant Track Listing:

1. Open Your Heart or Die Trying
2. Pink Elephant
3. Year of the Snake
4. Circle of Trust
5. Alien Nation
6. Beyond Salvation
7. Ride or Die
8. I Love Her Shadow
9. She Cries Diamond Rain
10. Stuck In My Head