“I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete. There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed—and the band has changed—over the last almost 20 years. Time for new things” - Arcade Fire longtime multi-instrumentalist Will Butler and the younger brother of bandleader Win Butler, broke the news on Twitter. Will Butler joined Arcade Fire in late 2003 and first appeared on Arcade Fire’s debut album, 2004’s 'Funeral', and has contributed to every album since then, including the band’s upcoming studio LP 'WE'. Butler announced he is working on music for a David Adjmi play.

Arcade Fire have announced their new album 'WE', which deals in topics of isolation and human connection - the band’s sixth full-length is due out on May 6th. Arcade Fire set out to record an album in February 2020, but when the pandemic began, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne decided to write more songs - “It was the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever,” Butler said in a statement. The project was produced by Radiohead’s producer Nigel Godrich. They’ve shared the first single, 'The Lightning I, II' - listen to it below.