Editing Arcade Fire (section)

==History==
===2001–2003: Formation and early work===
[[Win Butler]] and [[Josh Deu]] founded Arcade Fire in [[Montreal]] around 2001, having first met at [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] as high school students.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.theultraviolet.com/wordpress/2010/11/deu-discusses-past-with-arcade-fire/|title = The Ultraviolet|date = November 13, 2010|access-date = February 8, 2015|website = The Ultraviolet|publisher = Marlboro High School|last = Madeline}}</ref> Butler and Deu's musical ideas began to develop and the first incarnation of the band was born while they were attending [[McGill University]] and [[Concordia University]], respectively.<ref name="Ultraviolet Joshua Deu">[http://www.theultraviolet.com/wordpress/2010/11/deu-discusses-past-with-arcade-fire "Joshua Deu interview"/] Madeline, 'Deu discusses past with Arcade Fire, ''The Ultraviolet'', November 13, 2010 (Deu currently is a Visual Arts instructor at [[Marlborough School (Los Angeles)]])</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mcgill.ca/about/alumni/arts-and-media|title=Arts and media {{!}} About McGill – McGill University|website=Mcgill.ca|language=en|access-date=May 9, 2017|archive-date=April 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407221053/http://www.mcgill.ca/about/alumni/arts-and-media|url-status=dead}}</ref> The duo began rehearsing their material at McGill where they met [[Régine Chassagne]], a music student whom they asked to join them. Deu recalls, "Win and I played guitar. Everyone played guitar. We had no music to show her, but she ended up saying yes to joining us, and I don't know why. Maybe there was a little spark with Win."<ref name="Ultraviolet Joshua Deu" /> Halfway through 2001, the band consisted of Butler, Chassagne, Deu, multi-instrumentalist Tim Kile (later of [[Wild Light]]), bassist Myles Broscoe (later of Les Angles Morts, Crystal Clyffs, and [[AIDS Wolf]]), guitarist/drummer Dane Mills (later of Crackpot) and multi-instrumentalist [[Brendan Reed]] (later of Les Angles Morts and founding member of [[Clues (band)|Clues]]), who lived with Butler and Chassagne in Montreal's [[Mile End, Montreal|Mile End neighbourhood]] at the time and was a collaborator with them on song-writing and arrangement (2001–2003). During a party in 2001, the band recorded a live Christmas album, ''A Very Arcade Xmas'', which they are rumored to have hand-distributed to their friends as a Christmas gift.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Locker|first=Melissa|date=2012-12-10|title=Arcade Fire, A Very Arcade Xmas|language=en-US|magazine=Time|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/12/11/9-christmas-albums-that-wont-make-you-want-to-punch-an-elf/slide/arcade-fire-a-very-arcade-xmas/|access-date=2021-12-24|issn=0040-781X}}</ref>

The initial Montreal structure of the band began to dissolve in the summer of 2002, when they travelled to Butler's family farm on Mount Desert Island, Maine to record their [[Arcade Fire (EP)|self-titled EP]].<ref>[http://www.pressherald.com/2014/01/26/arcade_fire_s_maternal_spark_/ "Arcade Fire’s maternal spark"], ''[[Portland Press Herald]]'', Portland, ME, January 26, 2014. Retrieved on April 9, 2015.</ref> Tension between Butler and bassist Myles Broscoe led the latter to exit the band following the recording session. [[Richard Reed Parry]], who had been enlisted to help the band record, began to collaborate with them during the sessions and would go on to join the band shortly afterwards. Around the same time, Joshua Deu left the band to resume his studies; he continued to collaborate on the visual aspects of the band.<ref name="Ultraviolet Joshua Deu" /> In the winter of 2003, the band celebrated the release of its EP with a show at Montreal's [[Casa del Popolo]]. Before a crowd packed beyond capacity, the band's set ended (in the middle of an encore) with an argument between Butler and Reed, who quit the band on-stage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/156817/timeline-arcade-fire-burning-bright/|title=Timeline: Arcade Fire burning bright|work=Global News|access-date=July 18, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Mills told gathered friends in the crowd immediately thereafter that he considered the band to have broken up, as such resigning from the band as well. Following the on-stage implosion, Butler's brother [[Will Butler]] (subject of the early Arcade Fire song "William Pierce Butler") and [[Tim Kingsbury]] were brought in to replace Reed and Mills so that the band could continue, and they set out to promote the self-titled EP. The eponymous release (often referred to by fans as the ''Us Kids Know EP'') was sold at early shows. After the band achieved fame, the EP was subsequently remastered and given a full release.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=https://www.thestar.com/printArticle/188495|title=Arcade Fire still burning|work=Toronto Star|date=March 6, 2007|author=Rayner, Ben|location=Toronto|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122114314/http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/188495|archive-date=January 22, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Howard Bilerman]] joined the band on drums in the summer of 2003, and they began to play shows together, and record the album that would end up becoming ''[[Funeral (Arcade Fire album)|Funeral]]''. The promise shown by the new band in their early live shows allowed them to land a record contract with the independent record label, [[Merge Records]], before the end of their first year together.<ref>{{cite magazine|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=https://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne?currentPage=all|title=David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists&nbsp;– and Megastars |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=December 18, 2007|author=Byrne, David }}</ref>

When asked about the rumour that the band's name refers to a fire in an arcade, Win Butler replied: "It's not a rumour, it's based on a story that someone told me. It's not an actual event, but one that I took to be real. I would say that it's probably something that the kid made up, but at the time I believed him."<ref>{{cite magazine|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7047705/the_fire_this_time|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002100404/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7047705/the_fire_this_time|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2007|title=The Fire This Time  |magazine=Rolling Stone|date=February 24, 2005 |author=Hoard, Christian }}</ref>

===2004–2006: ''Funeral''===
{{Main|Funeral (Arcade Fire album)}}
''[[Funeral (Arcade Fire album)|Funeral]]'' was released in September 2004 in Canada and February 2005 in Great Britain. The title of the debut album referred to the deaths of several relatives of band members (prominently the Butlers' grandfather, composer/arranger [[Alvino Rey]]) during its recording. These events created a somber atmosphere that influenced songs such as "Une année sans lumière" ("A Year Without Light"), "In the Backseat", and "Haïti", Chassagne's [[elegy]] to her homeland.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE6D71231F93AA3575AC0A9639C8B63|title= The Listings: Sept. 9 – Sept. 15; ARCADE FIRE  |work=The New York Times|date=September 9, 2005|author=Sinagra, Laura }}</ref>

It received widespread critical acclaim and topped many year-end and decade-end lists. According to the website [[Metacritic]], the album had the second most appearances on end-of-decade Top 10 lists, only behind [[Radiohead]]'s ''[[Kid A]]''.<ref name="metacritic.com"/> In the updated version of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]], it was ranked at No. 151.

The album was critically and commercially acclaimed. It appeared on many [[Record chart|top ten]] album lists for 2004 and 2005 (due to delayed international releases), with [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]], ''[[Filter (magazine)|Filter]]'', No Ripcord, and The MTV2 2005 Review crowning it the album of the year. ''[[NME]]'' named ''Funeral'' second<ref>{{cite news|access-date=April 26, 2008|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1656637,00.html|title=NME defends album of year poll|work=The Guardian |date=December 2, 2005|author=Dickson, Andrew | location=London}}</ref> in their list of 2005's best albums. NME also named "[[Rebellion (Lies)]]" the second best track.
By November 2005, ''Funeral'' had gone gold in both Canada and the UK, and sold over half a million copies worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 26, 2008|url=https://www.nme.com/news/the-arcade-fire/21461|title=Exclusive&nbsp;– Arcade Fire duet with Bowie released|work=NME |date=November 8, 2005}}</ref> a very large number for an independent release with minimal television or radio exposure. The album became [[Merge Records]]' first in the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart<ref>{{cite news|access-date=April 26, 2008|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/May/08/il/il22p.html|title=Pitchfork e-zine tells indie fans what's hot and not|newspaper=Honolulu Advertiser|date=May 8, 2005|author=Kot, Greg| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080421195044/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/May/08/il/il22p.html| archive-date= April 21, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> and the label's biggest selling album to date, surpassing [[Neutral Milk Hotel]]'s ''[[In the Aeroplane Over the Sea]]''.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008 |url=http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/index.php?p=8186&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 |title=On the Beat: David Menconi on music |work=[[The News & Observer]] |date=February 22, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823192310/http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/index.php?p=8186&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 |archive-date=August 23, 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:Arcade Fire - May 15, 2005.jpg|thumb|Arcade Fire performing in May 2005]]
The band booked small clubs for their 2004 tour, but growing interest forced many venue changes, far beyond the band's expectations, and the tour continued into mid-2005 throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, the SummerSonic Festival in Japan, and the Hillside Festival in [[Guelph]]. Taking much of the summer of 2005 off, the band made key festival appearances at the [[Halifax Pop Explosion]], [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival]], the [[Sasquatch! Music Festival]], [[Lollapalooza]], [[Vegoose]] Festival, [[Reading and Leeds Festival]] in the UK, [[Electric Picnic]] in Ireland and the [[A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise|Lowlands Festival]] in the Netherlands.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Arcade Fire was featured on the April 4, 2005, cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}}s Canadian edition. On May 1, 2005, the band performed at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=http://media.www.slccglobelink.com/media/storage/paper442/news/2007/03/19/News/Spreading.Like.An.arcade.Fire-2781758.shtml|title=Spreading Like an 'Arcade Fire' |publisher=[[Salt Lake Community College]]|date=March 19, 2007|author=Batman, Joseph W. }}</ref> In May 2005, the band signed a short-term publishing contract with [[EMI]] for ''Funeral'', and in June the band released a new single, "[[Cold Wind]]", on ''[[Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends]]''. The [[BBC]] used the track "[[Wake Up (Arcade Fire song)|Wake Up]]" on an advertisement for their autumn 2005 season, and the tracks "Rebellion (Lies)" and "[[Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels)|Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)]]" on adverts in January 2006.{{cn|date=February 2025}} On September 9, 2005, the band appeared on the British/US television special "Fashion Rocks", on which [[David Bowie]] joined them for "Wake Up". This recording, as well as recordings of the band's collaboration on Bowie's "Life on Mars" and "Five Years", were made available on the [[iTunes Store|iTunes Music Store]] in a virtual live EP. The same trip to New York City took them to the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' and a concert in [[Central Park]]. The Central Park show featured a surprise appearance by Bowie. On September 11, 2005, Arcade Fire appeared on the long-running BBC music series ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', performing "Rebellion (Lies)". The band also performed to a TV audience in Paris for [[Canal+ (French TV channel)|Canal+]], and the show was later screened on the British television's [[Channel 4]]. The band scored two number one songs on [[MTV2]] (UK) ''NME'' Chart Show, with "[[Neighborhood 3 (Power Out)|Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)]]" and a three-week run with "Wake Up". This success followed [[Rough Trade Records]]'s last-minute decision to release "Wake Up" only on 7"
vinyl.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 17, 2008|url=https://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=128&Itemid=327|title=Episodes: Arcade Fire|publisher=PBS|archive-date=September 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923060057/http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=128&Itemid=327|url-status=dead}}</ref>

"Wake Up" was played immediately before the Irish rock group [[U2]] started their concerts on their 2005–06 [[Vertigo Tour]]; Arcade Fire subsequently opened three shows for that tour, and at the third in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, appeared on stage during U2's encore to join in a cover of [[Joy Division]]'s "[[Love Will Tear Us Apart]]".<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 17, 2008|url=https://www.nme.com/news/the-arcade-fire/20826|title=Arcade Fire invited for U2 tour support |work=NME}}</ref> Additionally, ''[[The Dan Patrick Show]]'', a daily national sports talk show in the US, plays the song as a lead-out every Friday to signify the end of their show. The song was also heard numerous times during the Super Bowl telecast on February 5, 2010.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

''Funeral'' and the single "[[Cold Wind]]" were nominated for [[Grammy]]s in the [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Rock Album]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media|Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media]] categories (''Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends''), respectively. On April 2, 2006, in [[Halifax Urban Area|Halifax, Nova Scotia]], Arcade Fire received the [[Juno Award]] for Songwriters Of The Year for three songs from ''Funeral'': "Wake Up", "Rebellion (Lies)", and "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)".<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 26, 2008|url=http://www.junoawards.ca/06_2006_nominees.php#songwriter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427191030/http://www.junoawards.ca/06_2006_nominees.php#songwriter|archive-date=April 27, 2006|title=Songwriter Of The Year (sponsored by SOCAN)|publisher=[[Juno Awards]]}}</ref> The band was nominated for three [[BRIT Awards]]: Best International Group, Best International Album, and Best International Breakthrough Act.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=July 17, 2008|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/293967|title=Arcade Fire, Feist, Buble earn Brit Award nods |work=Toronto Star | date=January 14, 2008}}</ref>

Arcade Fire made an appearance on the BBC show ''[[Later with Jools Holland]]'' on May 12, 2005, performing "Power Out" and "Rebellion (Lies)".{{Citation needed |date=April 2011}} On October 22, 2007, ''Funeral'' was ranked No.8 in [[Bob Mersereau]]'s book ''[[The Top 100 Canadian Albums]]''.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 26, 2008|url=http://www.bumpershine.com/2007/10/22/the-top-100-canadian-albums-of-all-time.html|title=The "Top 100" Canadian Albums of "All Time"|publisher=Bumper Shine|date=October 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509003059/http://www.bumpershine.com/2007/10/22/the-top-100-canadian-albums-of-all-time.html|archive-date=May 9, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In late 2009, Pitchfork ranked the album No.2 in their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s, behind [[Radiohead]]'s ''[[Kid A]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pitchfork: Staff Lists: The top 200 albums of 2000s|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7710-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-20-1/|publisher=Pitchfork.com|access-date=October 28, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083650/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7710-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-20-1/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===2006–2010: ''Neon Bible''===
{{Main|Neon Bible}}
[[File:The Arcade Fire.jpg|thumb|Arcade Fire performing in support of ''Neon Bible'' at the [[United Palace Theater]] on May 7, 2007]]
During the downtime between ''[[Funeral (Arcade Fire album)|Funeral]]'' and the beginning of recording sessions for ''[[Neon Bible]]'', the band purchased a defunct church in the small Quebec town of [[Farnham, Quebec|Farnham]], approximately {{convert|70|km|mi}} southeast of Montreal, and spent the early part of 2006 converting it into a recording studio.<ref>[https://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/4047/arcade_fire]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307213812/http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/4047/arcade_fire|date=March 7, 2008}}</ref>

The first track officially released from ''Neon Bible'' was "[[Intervention (song)|Intervention]]" in December 2006 on [[iTunes]]. Proceeds from this release were dedicated to [[Partners in Health]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.arcadefire.net/news/intervention-on-itunes-partners-in-health-charity|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090724143108/http://www.arcadefire.net/news/intervention-on-itunes-partners-in-health-charity|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2009|title=Intervention On iTunes + Partners In Health Charity|publisher=Arcade Fire|access-date=April 28, 2008}}</ref> An error resulted in a second song, "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations", appearing on iTunes for a short time. The album was leaked to [[peer-to-peer]] networks on January 26, 2007, and was officially released March 5, 2007 in the UK and March 6 in North America. ''Neon Bible'' premiered at number 1 on the [[Canadian Albums Chart]] and the Irish Album Charts, and number 2 on the US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Top 200 charts and the UK Top 40 Album Chart for the week of March 12, 2007.<ref>{{cite magazine | access-date=January 20, 2010 | url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/2007-03-24/billboard-200 | title=Arcade Fire's Neon Bible Debuts at No.&nbsp;2 | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100118182217/http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200| archive-date= January 18, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The album was also number 1 on the Rock and Indie album charts. The first proper single, "[[Black Mirror (song)|Black Mirror]]", reached the No.&nbsp;1 spot on [[CBC Radio 3]]'s ''[[The R3-30|R3-30]]'' chart for five consecutive weeks, from March 22 to April 19, 2007, and was the first single by any band ever to spend more than two weeks atop the chart. The album gained much critical acclaim (even being mooted as a strong contender for album of the year), and because of its success saw the band proclaimed the most exciting act on the earth by British music magazine ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''. ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' voted it one of the five best albums of 2007.<ref>Paste Magazine issue No.&nbsp;38</ref> ''[[Trouser Press]]'' writer Jason Reeher ranked ''[[Neon Bible]]'' "among the best indie rock recordings of all time".<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 17, 2008|url=http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=arcade_fire|title=Arcade Fire EP (Can. self-released) 2003 (Merge) 2005 |publisher=Trouser Press }}</ref>

Arcade Fire made their first appearance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' on February 24, 2007 (Episode 618), performing "Intervention" and "Keep the Car Running".<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008 |url=http://snlarc.jt.org/ep.php?i=200702248 |title=SNL Archives Episodes |publisher=SNL Archives |date=February 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424025900/http://snlarc.jt.org/ep.php?i=200702248 |archive-date=April 24, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Owen Pallett]] was not present as he was recording for his solo project. During the performance, one of Win Butler's guitar strings broke, prompting him to rip the strings from his acoustic guitar and smash it on the floor until it shattered. On this guitar, "sak vide pa kanpe" was written in duct tape across the front. A [[Haiti]]an proverb meaning "An empty sack cannot stand up" in [[Haitian Creole language|Creole]], this may have been a reference to the extreme poverty of Haiti, the country of origin of Régine Chassagne.<ref>{{cite web | access-date=July 17, 2008 | url=http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/11/01/18457609.php | title=Singing for the Poor in Haiti: The Arcade Fire and Partners in Health | publisher=Indy Bay }}</ref>

[[File:Arcade fire mg 7230.jpg|thumb|left|Arcade Fire in July 2007]]
On July 10, 2007, ''Neon Bible'' was named to the shortlist for the [[Polaris Music Prize|2007 Polaris Music Prize]]. [[Patrick Watson (musician)|Patrick Watson]] was announced as the winner at a gala ceremony on September 24, 2007.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=April 28, 2008| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/arcade-fire-feist-on-polaris-short-list-1.636638?ref=rss|title=Arcade Fire, Feist on Polaris short list |publisher=CBC |location=Canada| date=July 10, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080416080147/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/07/10/polaris-shortlist.html?ref=rss| archive-date= April 16, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2007/07/10/4328574-cp.html|title=Feist, Fire get Polaris noms|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|url-status=usurped| archive-url = https://archive.today/20071224032741/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2007/07/10/4328574-cp.html| archive-date = December 24, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.chartattack.com/news/43988/arcade-fire-feist-and-the-dears-among-polaris-nominees |title=Arcade Fire, Feist And The Dears Among Polaris Nominees |last=Love |first=Noah |date=July 10, 2007 |magazine=[[Chart (magazine)|Chart]] |access-date=November 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221221217/http://www.chartattack.com/news/43988/arcade-fire-feist-and-the-dears-among-polaris-nominees |archive-date=December 21, 2008 |url-status=usurped  }}</ref> However, due to the band's preference not to participate in [[compilation album]]s, they were the only nominee not to have a track on the Polaris promotional compilation [[2007 Polaris Music Prize]]. Some media initially reported that the Polaris committee had snubbed the band by excluding them, leading the band and the committee to issue a joint press release confirming that the band chose not to have a track included on the album.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=http://www.polarismusicprize.ca/bband/content/polaris/home/Polaris_Arcade_Firejoint_statement.pdf|title=Joint Statement by Arcade Fire and the Polaris Music Prize|publisher=[[Polaris Music Prize]]| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080414060650/http://www.polarismusicprize.ca/bband/content/polaris/home/Polaris_Arcade_Firejoint_statement.pdf| archive-date = April 14, 2008}}</ref>

The ''Neon Bible'' tour continued into September 2007 with 25+ dates scheduled in North America and Europe through mid-November. The band toured Australia and New Zealand for the first time in early 2008 as part of the 2008 [[Big Day Out]] festival. On October 14, 2007, [[Win Butler]] and Régine Chassagne made a surprise guest appearance at a [[Bruce Springsteen]] show in [[Ottawa]], playing "State Trooper" and "[[Keep the Car Running]]".<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=http://brucebase.wikispaces.com/2007#1410|publisher=Brucebase Wiki|title=Brucebase 2007}}</ref> The band committed to give [[Partners in Health]] $1.00, £1.00, or €1.00 of every ticket sold on its 2008 European and North American tours.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008|url=http://www.pih.org/inforesources/news/arcade_fire_0107.html|publisher=[[Partners In Health]]|title=Arcade Fire sparks support for PIH&nbsp;– Canadian band raises issues and funds|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116165302/http://www.pih.org/inforesources/news/arcade_fire_0107.html|archive-date=January 16, 2010}}</ref>

Arcade Fire further helped PIH, when it recorded "Lenin" on [[Red Hot Organization]]'s latest album, ''[[Dark Was the Night (album)|Dark Was the Night]]''. Sales from DWTN generated over $850,000 in money donated to AIDS related charities—$300,000 of which was given to PIH on Arcade Fire's behalf.

In February 2008, Win Butler announced on the band's journal that the ''Neon Bible'' tour had come to an end, after one year of touring and a total of 122 shows (including 33 festivals) in 75 cities and 19 countries.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 17, 2008|url=http://www.arcadefire.net/news/neon-bible-tour-is-over|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090724140631/http://www.arcadefire.net/news/neon-bible-tour-is-over|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2009|title=Neon Bible Tour Is Over  |publisher=Arcade Fire }}</ref>
Critics met the self-produced ''Neon Bible'' with acclaim. Publications like ''[[NME]]'' and ''[[IGN]]'' praised the album for its grandiose nature.<ref name="NMER">{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/arcade-fire/8245 |title=Arcade Fire: Neon Bible |journal=[[NME]] |date=March 2, 2007 |access-date=August 29, 2011 |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Beaumont (journalist) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208100950/http://www.nme.com/reviews/arcade-fire/8245 |archive-date=December 8, 2015}}</ref><ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=http://music.ign.com/articles/770/770703p2.html|title=The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible|last=D.|first=Spence|website=IGN|date=March 6, 2007|access-date=April 1, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323152902/http://music.ign.com/articles/770/770703p2.html|archive-date=March 23, 2010}}</ref>

[[Win Butler]] has been a vocal supporter of [[Barack Obama]] since the end of the New Hampshire Primary.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 28, 2008 |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/48000-arcade-fires-win-butler-disses-hillary-backs-obama |title=Arcade Fire's Win Butler Disses Hillary, Backs Obama |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080507003152/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/48000-arcade-fires-win-butler-disses-hillary-backs-obama |archive-date=May 7, 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Arcade Fire performed two free concerts for Obama in [[Cleveland]] and [[Nelsonville, Ohio]] on March 2 and 3, 2008, before the state's March 4 primary.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/01/arcade-fire-to-perform-for-obama-in-ohio/ |work=CNN |title=Arcade Fire to perform for Obama in Ohio |access-date=April 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413223838/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/01/arcade-fire-to-perform-for-obama-in-ohio/ |archive-date=April 13, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2010/05/09/a-hall-for-all.html | work=The Columbus Dispatch | title=A hall for all | access-date=May 9, 2010 | archive-date=July 28, 2012 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120728162509/http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2010/05/09/a-hall-for-all.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> The band, with [[Superchunk]], performed another two free concerts for Obama on May 1 in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]], and on May 2 in [[Carrboro, North Carolina]] before the state's May 6 primary.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=July 17, 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/us/politics/02primary.html|title=Spending Heavily, Obama Attempts Knockout Blow  |work=The New York Times | first=Adam | last=Nagourney | date=March 2, 2008}}</ref> On January 21, 2009, Arcade Fire and [[Jay-Z]] were the musical guests at the Obama Campaign Staff Ball at the DC Armory, at Obama's request. Butler thanked President Obama for his stated intent to close the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|prison at Guantanamo Bay]], and repeatedly thanked the Obama staffers for their work during the election.

The band was rumoured to be working with producer Markus Dravs on the soundtrack for the [[Richard Kelly (director)|Richard Kelly]] film ''[[The Box (2009 film)|The Box]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/50594-arcade-fire-scoring-idonnie-darkoi-dudes-new-movie |title=Arcade Fire Scoring Donnie Darko Dude's New Movie |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=May 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513191242/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/50594-arcade-fire-scoring-idonnie-darkoi-dudes-new-movie |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Win Butler denied the claims, but stated that he and [[Owen Pallett]] "may do an instrumental piece or two" for the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://stereogum.com/archives/arcade-fire-not-scoring-the-box-do-like-wolf-parad_009837.html|title= Arcade Fire Not Scoring The Box, Enjoying Wolf Parade|publisher =[[Stereogum]]|access-date=May 20, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080519083907/http://stereogum.com/archives/arcade-fire-not-scoring-the-box-do-like-wolf-parad_009837.html| archive-date= May 19, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>

In December 2008, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' reported the band set up the website miroir-noir.com to foreshadow the release of a concert film with the same title, reporting, "Miroir Noir will feature live footage from the Neon Bible tour." The film was directed by Vincent Morisset.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arcade Fire to Release Film, Possibly Live Document |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/node/148115|publisher=Pitchforkmedia.com|access-date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> It was made available to pre-order on December 15, 2008, with the digital version available to download immediately, and the DVD shipping March 31, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/41609 |title=Arcade Fire to release 'Miroir Noir' documentary on Monday (Dec 15) &#124; News |work=NME   |date=December 12, 2008 |access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://miroir-noir.com/ |title=Arcade Fire – Neon Bible Archives – Video – DVD |publisher=Miroir Noir |access-date=July 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215081906/http://www.miroir-noir.com/ |archive-date=February 15, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A re-recorded version of the band's song "Wake Up" from their 2004 debut album, ''Funeral'', was used for the trailer of the [[Spike Jonze]] film ''[[Where the Wild Things Are (film)|Where the Wild Things Are]]'', which was released in October 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1607833/20090326/arcade_fire.jhtml|title=Arcade Fire Re-Record 'Wake Up' For 'Where The Wild Things Are' Trailer|last=Montgomery|first=James|date=March 26, 2009|work=MTV|access-date=April 6, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090329045924/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1607833/20090326/arcade_fire.jhtml| archive-date= March 29, 2009 | url-status= dead}}</ref> The song "Wake Up" has also become popular on sports radio talk shows in the US In 2009, two nationally syndicated shows—''[[The Dan Patrick Show]]'' and ''The Petros and Money Show''—frequently used the song as "bumper" music. The [[National Football League]] featured this recording in commercials throughout the broadcast of the [[2010 Super Bowl]]. The band donated the proceeds from licensing the song to the NFL to the charity [[Partners In Health]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/37788-arcade-fire-license-wake-up-to-super-bowl-to-benefit-haiti-relief/|title=Arcade Fire License "Wake Up" to Super Bowl to Benefit Haiti Relief|date=February 3, 2010 |publisher=Pitchfork.com|access-date=October 28, 2013}}</ref>

===2010–2012: ''The Suburbs''===
{{Main|The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)}}
On May 27, 2010, it was announced that a new double-sided 12" single would be released the same day as the full album, called ''[[The Suburbs (Arcade Fire album)|The Suburbs]]'', on August 2 in the UK and on August 3 in the US and Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arcadefire.com |title=Arcade Fire|publisher=Arcadefire.com|access-date=2013-10-28 }}</ref> The album is produced by [[Markus Dravs]], who had worked with the band on their previous album, 2007's ''Neon Bible,'' and was engineered by [[Marcus Paquin]], who has also previously worked with the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20091201_arcadefire.shtml|title= Dravs aids Arcade Fire|website =[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=December 1, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091205000352/http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20091201_arcadefire.shtml| archive-date= December 5, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> A track-by-track review ahead of ''The Suburbs'' release by [[The Quietus]] website said, "The progression is similar to the one [[William Blake]] takes us through in ''[[Songs of Innocence and of Experience]]'' that suggests forward momentum and maturity."<ref>{{cite magazine| title =Arcade Fire The Suburbs Track-By-Track Review|magazine =[[The Quietus]]|date = July 21, 2010| url =http://thequietus.com/articles/04666-arcade-fire-the-suburbs-track-by-track-review| access-date =July 21, 2010| archive-url= https://archive.today/20100724061741/http://thequietus.com/articles/04666-arcade-fire-the-suburbs-track-by-track-review| archive-date= July 24, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The album was released with eight different covers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aatoaa.com |title=Arcade Fire the suburbs synchronised artwork, traditional artwork & minimalis interactive stuff |access-date=October 30, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101112124654/http://www.aatoaa.com/| archive-date= November 12, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

The first show announced was [[Oxegen 2010]] which took place in Ireland in July.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/50112 |title=Arcade Fire announce European festival appearance &#124; News |publisher=Nme.Com |date=March 8, 2010 |access-date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> The band announced that they would play songs from the new album in their headline performance at the [[Reading and Leeds Festivals]] in August 2010, with Win Butler noting, "We're really looking forward to playing the new songs live... [it's] like an inventor emerging from his basement after a year's work."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://altrocknow.com/artists/arcade-fire/ |title=Arcade Fire Set To Debut Songs From Upcoming Album |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403043447/http://altrocknow.com/artists/arcade-fire/ |archive-date=April 3, 2010 }}</ref>

[[File:Arcade Fire at Madison Square Garden, August 4, 2010 31.jpg|thumb|Arcade Fire performing at Madison Square Garden in August 2010]]
In July 2010, Arcade Fire announced they would be broadcasting their August 5 concert at Madison Square Garden live via YouTube. They later announced the video would be directed by [[Terry Gilliam]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=146&csid2=844&fid1=48435|title=Arcade Fire Webcast To Be Directed By Terry Gilliam|publisher=Exclaim.ca|year=2010|access-date=July 5, 2010}}</ref> ''The Suburbs'' was released worldwide at the start of August 2010 to extensive critical acclaim comparable to ''Funeral'' and ''Neon Bible''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/arcadefire/thesuburbs |title=The Suburbs reviews at |publisher=Metacritic.com |date=July 26, 2010 |access-date=August 6, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100728072028/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/arcadefire/thesuburbs| archive-date= July 28, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> During the 2010 tour, Arcade Fire gave a tribute to [[Jay Reatard]] performing the cover of "Oh, It's Such a Shame". Win Butler confessed to Zane Lowe that the band wanted Jay Reatard to support the band on this tour, but he had died. ''The Suburbs'' went on to debut at number one in the US (on the Billboard 200), selling 156,000 units in its first week. It was also number one in the UK and Canada.

In August 2010, Arcade Fire and Google released an interactive music video, written and directed by [[Chris Milk]] and produced by [[B-Reel]], which allows the viewer to enter the address where they grew up and the video is then "geopersonalised". This video utilizes the band's song "We Used to Wait" from ''The Suburbs'', and showcases capabilities of [[HTML5]] and Google's Chrome browser. On November 13, 2010, Arcade Fire made their second appearance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', performing "We Used to Wait" and "[[Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/40703-watch-arcade-fire-on-saturday-night-live/|title=Arcade Fire on "Saturday Night Live"|date=November 14, 2010|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=February 21, 2011}}</ref>

The album debuted at No. 1 on the [[Irish Albums Chart]], the [[UK Albums Chart]], the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-08-21/billboard-200 |title=Billboard 200 – Week of August 21, 2010 |publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=August 13, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405174702/http://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-08-21/billboard-200 |archive-date=April 5, 2013  }}</ref> and the [[Canadian Albums Chart]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/music/2010/08/11/14988411.html |title=Arcade Fire heats up charts |newspaper=Toronto Sun |access-date=August 13, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927033720/http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/music/2010/08/11/14988411.html |archive-date=September 27, 2012  }}</ref> It won [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] at the [[53rd Grammy Awards|2011 Grammy Awards]], Best International Album at the [[2011 BRIT Awards]], Album of the Year at the [[Juno Awards of 2011|2011 Juno Awards]], and the 2011 [[Polaris Music Prize]] for best Canadian album. Two weeks after winning [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Grammy's Album of the Year]], the album jumped from No. 52 to No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the album's highest ranking since August 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/74333/week-ending-feb-20-2011-albums-an-early-birthday-present/ |title=Week Ending Feb 20, 2011: Albums: An Early Birthday Present |work=Chart Watch |publisher=Yahoo! |date=February 23, 2011 |access-date=August 19, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822120915/http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/74333/week-ending-feb-20-2011-albums-an-early-birthday-present/ |archive-date=August 22, 2011  }}</ref>

In a nod to the Butlers' maternal grandfather, [[Alvino Rey]], who was an amateur radio operator, the logo used by the band from this time was a variation of that used by the [[American Radio Relay League]]. Also, when playing the single "[[We Used to Wait]]" live, the background video screen features a radio exchange between Rey and a [[Canadians|Canadian]] operator having Call Sign VE3YV. The video also features many other amateur radio artifacts.

Arcade Fire performed at the [[53rd Grammy Awards]] in February 2011. The band was nominated for [[Grammy Award]]s in three categories: [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]], [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]] (for'' The Suburbs'').<ref>''The Gazette'' (January 13, 2011). [https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Arcade+Fire+perform+Grammys/4103281/story.html Arcade Fire to perform at Grammys]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116184022/http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Arcade%2BFire%2Bperform%2BGrammys/4103281/story.html |date=January 16, 2011 }}. Canada.com. Retrieved on January 21, 2011.</ref> Out of the three nominations, they won the Grammy for Album of the Year, their second time to be nominated for the award.<ref>{{cite news| last=Duke|first=Alan| publisher=CNN| url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/14/grammy.awards.show/index.html|title=Grammy upset: Arcade Fire beats Gaga, Eminem for top album|date=February 14, 2011| access-date=February 15, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110214200834/http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/14/grammy.awards.show/index.html| archive-date= February 14, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2011/02/grammy-awards-2011.html|title=Turn It Up: Grammy Awards 2011: Arcade Fire wins album of the year|last=Kot| first=Greg| date=February 13, 2011|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=February 15, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110217094944/http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2011/02/grammy-awards-2011.html| archive-date= February 17, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/grammys/?story=/ent/feature/2011/02/13/grammys_2011_winners_list|title=UPDATED: 2011 Grammys Winners and Losers|last=Estes|first=Adam Clark|date=February 13, 2011|work=Salon|access-date=February 15, 2011|archive-date=February 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217211525/http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/grammys/?story=/ent/feature/2011/02/13/grammys_2011_winners_list|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the [[2011 BRIT Awards]], ''The Suburbs'' won Best International Album, and Arcade Fire won the Award for Best International Group.<ref>{{cite magazine| title =Arcade Fire's Week Gets Even Better After Winning Brit Awards|magazine=TIME|date=February 17, 2011| url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/17/arcade-fires-week-gets-even-better-after-winning-brit-awards/| access-date =February 21, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110222063430/http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/17/arcade-fires-week-gets-even-better-after-winning-brit-awards/| archive-date= February 22, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

In March 2011, Arcade Fire was honoured at the [[Juno Awards of 2011]]. They won Group of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for "[[Ready to Start]]", "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)", and "We Used to Wait", all off ''The Suburbs''. ''The Suburbs'' also won Album of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://junoawards.ca/2011/03/26/32-juno-award-winners-are-crowned-canada%E2%80%99s-music-elite-gather-to-celebrate-40-years-of-the-juno-awards/ |title=32 Juno Award Winners Are CROWNED! Canada's Music Elite GAather To Celebrate 40 Years Of The Juno Awards |work=JUNO Awards |date=March 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811215747/http://junoawards.ca/2011/03/26/32-juno-award-winners-are-crowned-canada%E2%80%99s-music-elite-gather-to-celebrate-40-years-of-the-juno-awards/ |archive-date=August 11, 2011  }}</ref>

On April 19, 2011, it was announced that Arcade Fire would release a deluxe edition of their album ''The Suburbs'' featuring the short film ''Scenes from the Suburbs'', by director [[Spike Jonze]], as well as two new tracks, "Culture War" and "Speaking in Tongues" featuring [[David Byrne]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/may/24/arcade-fire-david-byrne-speaking-in-tongues|title=Arcade Fire feat David Byrne – Speaking in Tongues|work=The Guardian |date=May 24, 2011|location=London|first=Michael|last=Cragg}}</ref> ''Scenes from the Suburbs'', which debuted at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] [[61st Berlin International Film Festival|2011]], has a running time of 30 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Richardson|first=Mark|title=Watch: Video for Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs"|access-date=November 18, 2010|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=November 18, 2010|url= https://pitchfork.com/news/40773-watch-video-for-arcade-fires-the-suburbs/ | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101127070226/http://pitchfork.com/news/40773-watch-video-for-arcade-fires-the-suburbs/| archive-date= November 27, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The film screened at the [[SXSW Film Festival]] 2011 and saw its online premiere on MUBI on June 27, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mubi.com/films/scenes-from-the-suburbs |title=Scenes from the Suburbs – Movie info: cast, reviews, trailer on |publisher=Mubi.com |access-date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> Writing for the Canadian Press, Nick Patch called the film "a sci-fi puzzler that seems to blend the paranoia of [[Terry Gilliam]] films with the nostalgia of classic [[Steven Spielberg]] flicks."<ref>Nick Patch, The Canadian Press, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110608040426/http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iimmsC7DjnlWvKROvfMUuqdPrLxw?docId=7050437 Spike Jonze-directed Arcade Fire film not intended as political statement], Retrieved June 27, 2011</ref>

On June 16, the album was named as a longlisted nominee (one of 40) for the [[2011 Polaris Music Prize]].<ref name="longlist">{{cite web|author=Ashley Carter |url=http://www.aux.tv/2011/06/2011-polaris-music-prize-long-list-announced/ |title=2011 Polaris Music Prize Long List announced |publisher=Aux.tv |date=June 16, 2011 |access-date=October 28, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002045233/http://www.aux.tv/2011/06/2011-polaris-music-prize-long-list-announced/ |archive-date=October 2, 2015 }}</ref> On July 6, the album was named as a shortlisted (one of 10) nominee for the 2011 award. On September 20, 2011, they were awarded the Polaris Prize.

On May 19, 2012, Arcade Fire (minus members Will and Tim) made their third appearance on ''Saturday Night Live'', playing as a backup band for musical guest and host [[Mick Jagger]]. The band performed "[[The Last Time (The Rolling Stones song)|The Last Time]]" with Jagger, and participated in [[Kristen Wiig]]'s farewell skit, playing "[[She's a Rainbow]]" into "[[Ruby Tuesday (song)|Ruby Tuesday]]". The band wore ''carrés rouges'' (red squares) to show support for the [[2012 Quebec student protests]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.spinner.com/2012/05/20/arcade-fire-quebec-student-protests/|title=Arcade Fire Support Quebec Student Protests on Saturday Night Live, Join Likes of Michael Moore, Anonymous|work=Spinner.com |date=May 20, 2012|first=Aaron|last=Brophy}}</ref>

Arcade Fire recorded a song for ''[[The Hunger Games (film)|The Hunger Games]]'' soundtrack (''[[The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond]]''), called "Abraham's Daughter". The song is featured in the movie's end credits. The soundtrack was released on March 20, 2012, debuting at number one on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="billboard1">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/498744/hunger-games-soundtrack-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200 |title=Weekly Chart Notes: 'Hunger Games,' Taylor Swift, Adele – Chart Beat |magazine=Billboard  |access-date=May 1, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sinha |first=Piya |url=https://vancouversun.com/opinion/Hunger+Games+soundtrack+tops+Billboard+chart/6374123/story.html |title=The Hunger Games soundtrack tops Billboard chart |work=The Vancouver Sun |date=March 28, 2012 |access-date=May 1, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> It sold more than 175,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the first theatrical film soundtrack to top the chart since Michael Jackson's "This Is It" debuted at No.&nbsp;1 on the list. It is also only the 16th soundtrack to debut at No.&nbsp;1 in the history of the Billboard 200 chart (those soundtracks include film, television, and straight-to-video efforts).<ref name="billboard1"/>

Arcade Fire also contributed to the movie's original score, ''The Hunger Games: Original Motion Picture Score''. The group composed the grand, fascistic-inspired, ominous Panem national anthem, entitled "Horn of Plenty", an important and signature leitmotif appearing throughout the film.<ref name="hungergamesmovie1">{{cite web|url=http://hungergamesmovie.org/11126/arcade-fire-created-the-national-anthem-of-panem/ |title=Arcade Fire Created the National Anthem of Panem! – Hunger Games |publisher=Hungergamesmovie.org |date=March 2, 2012 |access-date=May 1, 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505074208/http://hungergamesmovie.org/11126/arcade-fire-created-the-national-anthem-of-panem/ |archive-date=May 5, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="stereogum1">{{cite web|url=https://stereogum.com/984822/arcade-fire-horn-of-plenty-preview/mp3s/ |title=Arcade Fire – "Horn Of Plenty" |publisher=Stereogum |date=March 24, 2012 |access-date=May 1, 2012}}</ref> "We were interested in making music that would be more integral in the movie, just as a mental exercise," Butler, who co-wrote the song with Chassagne, explained. "And there's an anthem that runs throughout the books, the national anthem of the fascist Capitol. So as a thought experiment, we tried to write what that might sound like. It's like the Capitol's idea of itself, basically."<ref name="hungergamesmovie1"/><ref name="stereogum1"/> He further added that "it's not a pop song or anything. More of an anthem that could be playing at a big sporting event like the [Hunger] Games. So we did a structure for that, and then [[James Newton Howard]] made a movie-score version of it that happens in several places in the film."<ref name="hungergamesmovie1"/><ref name="stereogum1"/> Arcade Fire's Panem national anthem has received strong reviews. According to ''Spin Mobile'', "'Horn of Plenty' sounds both exactly like Arcade Fire and exactly like a futuristic anthem."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.spin.com/v/News/ArcadeFireDropDystop/?KSID=f793f0503c083c8bbf9f11464942d450 |title=SPIN Mobile – News – Arcade Fire Drop Dystopian 'Hunger Games' Anthem 'Horn of Plenty' |publisher=M.spin.com |date=March 26, 2012 |access-date=May 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610170941/http://m.spin.com/v/News/ArcadeFireDropDystop/?KSID=f793f0503c083c8bbf9f11464942d450 |archive-date=June 10, 2012 }}</ref>

=== 2013–2015: ''Reflektor'' ===
{{main|Reflektor}}
{{Quote box
 |quote = "There's a lot of them, and they're mostly self-produced – like, they don't need a producer in a certain way. I think it's going to be a really great record, actually. I'm eager to see it come out."
 |source = —[[James Murphy (electronic musician)|James Murphy]], 2013<ref name="rollingstone.com">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/report-new-arcade-fire-release-date-emerges-20130622 |title=Report: New Arcade Fire Release Date Emerges &#124; Music News |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=2013-06-22 |access-date=2013-10-28}}</ref>
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Arcade Fire and [[Mercury Records]] confirmed that they would release a fourth album in late 2013.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=October 29, 2012|url=https://www.spin.com/2012/10/new-arcade-fire-album-likely-ready-late-2013/|title=New Arcade Fire Album Likely Ready By Late 2013 |work=Spin Magazine | first=Daniel | last=Kreps | date=October 25, 2012}}</ref> In December 2012, the band's manager Scott Rodger confirmed that Arcade Fire was in the studio working with regular producer of the band [[Markus Dravs]] and [[James Murphy (electronic musician)|James Murphy]], frontman of [[LCD Soundsystem]].<ref>{{cite news|access-date=December 7, 2012|url=https://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/67613|title=Arcade Fire are in studio with James Murphy, confirms manager |work=NME Magazine | date=December 7, 2012}}</ref> The official Arcade Fire pre-order website set the release date on October 28, 2013.
The band announced on January 18, 2013, that they were selling the church they had been using as a studio due to a collapsed roof.<ref>{{cite news|last=Young|first=Alex|title=Buy Arcade Fire's church|url=https://consequence.net/2013/01/buy-arcade-fires-church/|access-date=January 18, 2013|newspaper=[[Consequence of Sound]]|date=January 18, 2013}}</ref> Throughout 2013, the band worked on the album in several different recording studios – including Murphy's [[DFA Records|DFA Records studio]] in [[New York City]]. On June 22, 2013, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' reported that new material from the album would be released on September 9, 2013.<ref name="rollingstone.com"/> On July 12, the band announced via a reply on [[Twitter]] that their new album would be released on October 29.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/51497-arcade-fire-confirm-release-date-for-new-album |title=Arcade Fire Announce New Album Release Date &#124; News |website=Pitchfork |date=July 12, 2013 |access-date=October 28, 2013 |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022102539/http://pitchfork.com/news/51497-arcade-fire-confirm-release-date-for-new-album/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Will Butler and Owen Pallett received a nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] at the [[86th Academy Awards]] for [[Her (score)|their original score]] of [[Spike Jonze]]'s 2013 science-fiction romance film ''[[Her (2013 film)|Her]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/51817-arcade-fire-score-spike-jonze-film-her/|title=Arcade Fire Score Spike Jonze Film ''Her''|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=August 7, 2013|access-date=August 8, 2013|last=Pelly|first=Jenn}}</ref> Speculation emerged in August that the album would be named ''Reflektor'' after images began circulating of street art using the name. These images were collected on an Instagram account and later uploads noted the date of September 9 and time of 9 P.M.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Mysterious 'Reflektor' campaign, thought to be Arcade Fire related, teases September 9 reveal|date = August 13, 2013|url = https://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/71994|work = [[NME]]|access-date = August 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Arcade Fire's 'Reflektor' Mural Points To September Surprise|date = August 26, 2013|work = [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|url = https://www.spin.com/2013/08/arcade-fire-reflektor-public-mural-album-video/|last = McGovern|first = Kyle|access-date = August 26, 2013}}</ref> Arcade Fire confirmed their connection to the campaign with a billboard put up in New York City on August 26, 2013.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Arcade Fire confirm mysterious online 'Reflektor' campaign is their doing; something Arcade Fire-related will happen on Sept. 9|date = August 26, 2013|url = http://arts.nationalpost.com/2013/08/26/arcade-fire-confirm-mysterious-online-reflektor-campaign-is-their-doing-something-arcade-fire-will-happen-on-sept-9-at-9-p-m/|last = Tucker|first = Rebecca|work = [[National Post]]|access-date = August 26, 2013}}</ref> A week later, the band released a 15-second music clip on [[Spotify]] titled "9pm 9/9" under the album name ''Reflektor''.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Arcade Fire release snippet of new music on Spotify – listen|date = September 2, 2013|url = https://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/72410|work = [[NME]]|access-date = September 2, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Arcade Fire Live in Concert (19804231713).jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|left|Arcade Fire performing in June 2014]]
English rock musician [[David Bowie]] contributed to backing vocals on the title song, "[[Reflektor (song)|Reflektor]]" after praising the song's quality in fall 2013.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-sang-on-arcade-fires-reflektor-20130910|title=David Bowie Sang on Arcade Fire's 'Reflektor'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=July 28, 2017}}</ref> In September 2013, Arcade Fire released a version of the 1980 hit single "[[Games Without Frontiers (song)|Games Without Frontiers]]" for the [[Peter Gabriel]] tribute album ''[[And I'll Scratch Yours]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/71674l | title= Arcade Fire cover Peter Gabriel's 'Games Without Frontiers' – listen | work=NME | date=July 26, 2013 | access-date=August 28, 2013}}</ref> Upon its release, ''Reflektor'' received positive reviews from music critics and had a successful commercial performance. The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far, a list published by ''[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]'' in August 2014.<ref name="pitchfork.com">{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9465-the-100-best-albums-of-the-decade-so-far-2010-2014/|title=The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014)|website=Pitchfork|date=August 19, 2014 }}</ref>

Arcade Fire were the musical guest on the 39th-season premiere of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' on September 28, 2013. The episode drew six million viewers.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://deadline.com/2013/10/snl-season-debut-best-in-3-years-demo-wise-and-2-years-overall-602566/ |title='SNL' Season Debut Best In 3 Years Demo-Wise And 2 Years Overall |magazine=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=October 28, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Hollywood">{{cite magazine|last=Guthrie|first=Marisa|title=Tina Fey to Open 39th Season of 'Saturday Night Live'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tina-fey-open-39th-season-624414|date=September 9, 2013|magazine=Hollywood Reporter|access-date=September 10, 2013}}</ref> They also appeared in a half hour special on [[NBC]], ''Arcade Fire in Here Comes the Night Time'', that aired immediately after ''SNL''. The special featured cameo appearances by [[Ben Stiller]], [[Bono]], [[Bill Hader]], [[Zach Galifianakis]], [[Rainn Wilson]], [[Aziz Ansari]], [[Eric Wareheim]], and [[Michael Cera]]. The concert footage was filmed at the band's surprise September 9 appearance at Montreal's Club Salsathèque.<ref>Gregory Bouchard, [https://www.stereogum.com/1466661/report-from-arcade-fires-surprise-show-at-montreals-salsatheque-9913/concert/ Report From Arcade Fire’s Surprise Show At Montreal’s Salsathèque 9/9/13], Stereogum, September 10, 2013</ref> Arcade Fire performed live at the [[YouTube Music Awards]] on November 3, 2013. The performance featured an experimental "live video" directed by ''Her'' writer and director [[Spike Jonze]], and actress [[Greta Gerwig]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Lipshutz|first=Jason|title=YouTube Music Awards: Eminem, Arcade Fire, Lady Gaga Highlight Gleefully Messy Show|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5778137/youtube-music-awards-eminem-arcade-fire-lady-gaga-highlight-gleefully-messy|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 4, 2013}}</ref> The band was nominated for a [[Satellite Award for Best Original Score]] for ''Her''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/current-nominees/|title=2013 Nominations|publisher=[[International Press Academy]]|access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> They were also nominated for a [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2013|Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music Score]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title='Gravity,' 'Her' Tie for Best Picture With L.A. Film Critics|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/l-a-film-critics-voting-in-progress-1200933565/|access-date=December 8, 2013|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=December 8, 2013}}</ref> The band headlined the 2014 [[Glastonbury Festival]] on June 27.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/arcadefire/status/413708754828288000|title=Next year, one week in June|publisher=Arcade Fire|access-date=December 19, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicblogged.com/arcade-fire-headline-friday-at-glastonbury-2014/|title=Arcade Fire to headline Friday at Glastonbury 2014|publisher=Music Blogged|date=December 19, 2013|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220191849/http://www.musicblogged.com/arcade-fire-headline-friday-at-glastonbury-2014/|archive-date=December 20, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the [[Juno Awards of 2014|2014 Juno Awards]], ''Reflektor'' won Album of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year. The album was also a shortlisted nominee for the [[2014 Polaris Music Prize]].<ref name="shortlist">[http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/arcade-fire-drake-shad-make-polaris-music-prize-short-list-1.1914616 "Arcade Fire, Drake, Shad make Polaris Music Prize short list"]. [[CTV News]], July 15, 2014.</ref> In 2015, Arcade Fire was the recipient of the International Achievement Award at the [[SOCAN]] Awards held in Montreal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.socan.ca/about/awards/2015-socan-awards|title=2015 SOCAN Awards – SOCAN|website=Socan.ca|access-date=July 28, 2017|archive-date=July 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728181335/https://www.socan.ca/about/awards/2015-socan-awards|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A documentary film about the making of the album, called ''[[The Reflektor Tapes]]'', was released on September 24, 2015, and was shown at the [[2015 Toronto Film Festival]].<ref name="IndieWire">{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/bent/toronto-film-festival-adds-60-titles-including-janis-joplin-doc-and-gillian-armstrongs-women-hes-undressed-20150811 |title=Toronto Film Festival Adds 60+ Titles |access-date=August 11, 2015 |work=IndieWire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811162548/http://blogs.indiewire.com/bent/toronto-film-festival-adds-60-titles-including-janis-joplin-doc-and-gillian-armstrongs-women-hes-undressed-20150811 |archive-date=August 11, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The following day, a deluxe edition of the album containing original recordings and five unreleased songs was released. The documentary was directed by Kahlil Joseph, winner of the 2013 Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Short Films.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Arcade Fire presents The Reflektor Tapes|url = http://thereflektortapes.com/|website = Arcade Fire presents The Reflektor Tapes|access-date = October 4, 2015}}</ref>

===2016–2019: ''Everything Now''===
{{Main|Everything Now}}
[[File:Arcade Fire at Razzmatazz Barcelona.jpg|thumb|Arcade Fire in July 2016, during their first full-band show in two years in Barcelona]]
On May 25, 2016, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne performed a surprise set outside the [[Louvre]] which included a new song. The pair were invited by the French street artist [[JR (artist)|JR]] to DJ at the launch of his new exhibition titled ''JR Au Louvre'', but the two decided to set up drums and keyboards in the Tuileries gardens.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/65754-watch-arcade-fires-surprise-performance-outside-the-louvre/ |title=Watch Arcade Fire's Surprise Performance Outside the Louvre |website=Pitchfork |date=May 27, 2016 |access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/93822? |title=Watch Arcade Fire perform surprise open-air show in Paris |publisher=NME |date=May 27, 2016 |access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref>

On June 17, Will Butler hosted a [[Reddit#AmA and AMA|Reddit AMA]], where he answered fan questions about the next Arcade Fire album. He stated that the new record might be released in spring 2017 and that the band had 'no definite schedule though. It'll be done when it's done.'<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/66180-arcade-fires-new-album-out-probably-next-spring/ |title=Arcade Fire's New Album Out "Probably Next Spring" |website=Pitchfork |date=June 17, 2016 |access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref> On July 5, the band played their first complete full-band concert in two years in Barcelona, Spain as a warm up for their upcoming summer festival dates in Canada, Portugal, Spain and USA.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://consequence.net/2016/07/arcade-fire-hit-the-stage-for-first-concert-in-two-years-at-barcelonas-razzmatazz-setlist-video/ |title=Arcade Fire hit the stage for first concert in two years at Barcelona's Razzmatazz: Setlist + Video |magazine=Consequence of Sound |date=July 6, 2016 |access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref> On July 19, Tim Kingsbury told CBC that the band's upcoming fifth album would be out in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/12186/new-arcade-fire-album-coming-next-year|title=New Arcade Fire album coming 'next year'|last=Dekel|first=Jonathan|date=July 17, 2016|website=CBC Music|publisher=CBC}}</ref> On January 19, 2017, the band released a new single to coincide with [[Donald Trump]]'s [[United States presidential inauguration|presidential inauguration]] entitled "I Give You Power". The song featured guest vocals from singer [[Mavis Staples]]. The proceeds were donated to the [[American Civil Liberties Union]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://consequence.net/2017/01/arcade-fire-make-their-glorious-return-with-i-give-you-power-listen/|title=Arcade Fire make their glorious return with "I Give You Power" — listen|last1=Young|first1=Alex|date=January 19, 2017|last2=Geslani|first2=Michelle|newspaper=Consequence of Sound|language=en-US|access-date=January 21, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:RF 0107 Arcade-Fire Krists Luhaers-3 (35860385576).jpg|thumb|Arcade Fire performing in July 2017]]
Arcade Fire signed a two album recording contract with [[Columbia Records]] in May 2017.<ref name="Columbia"/><ref name="Variety">{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2017/music/news/arcade-fire-sign-columbia-records-1202449658/|title=Arcade Fire Signs with Columbia Records|last=Halperin|first=Shirley|date=May 31, 2017|access-date=May 31, 2017|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> On May 31, the band released a new single "[[Everything Now (song)|Everything Now]]" on a limited edition 12" vinyl at the [[Primavera Sound|Primavera Sound Festival]] in Barcelona.<ref name="Columbia"/> Arcade Fire would also perform at the festival in early June 2017.<ref name="Variety"/> A day later, Arcade Fire announced their fifth studio album ''[[Everything Now]]'', which was released on July 28, 2017, and released a music video for "Everything Now".<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://pitchfork.com/news/73787-arcade-fire-announce-new-album-everything-now/ |title= Arcade Fire Announce New Album ''Everything Now'' |last= Monroe |first=Jazz |date=1 June 2017 |website= [[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=2 June 2017}}</ref> In July 2017, "Everything Now" became Arcade Fire's first single to reach number one on a ''Billboard'' chart, reaching number one on the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7873084/arcade-fire-everything-now-adult-alternative-number-one|title=Arcade Fire Earns First No. 1 Song With 'Everything Now'|website=Billboard.com|access-date=July 28, 2017}}</ref> In October 2017, long-time manager Scott Rodger parted ways with the band.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Hu|first1=Cherie|title=Arcade Fire & Maverick Management's Scott Rodger Part Ways After 13 Years|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8013917/arcade-fire-maverick-management-scott-rodger-part-ways|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=October 25, 2017|date=October 24, 2017}}</ref>

After releasing two teasers on their social media pages a few days before,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BgJzcWMn0mO |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/arcadefire/1732141780052167054 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |url-access=subscription|title=Arcade Fire on Instagram: "Money + Love Coming soon."|website=Instagram|language=en|access-date=March 13, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/arcadefire/videos/10155924427135225/|title=Arcade Fire|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref> on March 12, 2018, the band announced a short film, directed by [[David Wilson (director)|David Wilson]] called "Money + Love",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BgOdaxhHKl7 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/arcadefire/1733452289808312699 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |url-access=subscription|title=Arcade Fire on Instagram: "Money + Love Coming March 15th"|website=Instagram|language=en|access-date=March 13, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> containing two of their songs "[[Put Your Money on Me (Arcade Fire song)|Put Your Money On Me]]" and "[[We Don't Deserve Love]]", and being released on March 15. On March 17, Arcade Fire were featured as the musical guest on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' for a fifth time, performing "[[Creature Comfort]]" and "[[Put Your Money on Me (Arcade Fire song)|Put Your Money On Me]]".<ref name="ConsequenceSNL">{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Alex|title=Arcade Fire perform Everything Now songs, poke fun at Canada on SNL: Watch|url=https://consequence.net/2018/03/arcade-fire-return-to-snl/|access-date=April 8, 2018|work=Consequence of Sound|date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>  For the 2019 Disney film, ''[[Dumbo (2019 film)|Dumbo]]'', Arcade Fire performs an end-credits version of "Baby Mine", by Frank Churchill and Ned Washington, which was released as a single on March 11, 2019.

===2020–2024: ''We'' ===
{{Main|We (Arcade Fire album)}}
On October 21, 2020, Butler was interviewed for the Broken Record podcast, where he commented about Arcade Fire's sixth album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/all|title=All Episodes|website=Broken Record}}</ref> The band had been writing for a year before the [[COVID-19 lockdowns|COVID-19 lockdown]]. During lockdown, Butler kept working and wrote "two or three albums".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/win-butler-gives-update-on-arcade-fires-new-album-i-think-youll-be-surprised-2793963|title=Win Butler gives update on Arcade Fire album: "I think you'll be surprised"|website=[[NME]] |date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> In April 2020, Butler shared some snippets of new material in the social networks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/win-butler-shares-more-snippets-of-a-new-arcade-fire-song-2657223|title=Win Butler shares more snippets of a new Arcade Fire song|website=[[NME]] |date=April 30, 2020}}</ref> On April 14, 2021, the band released a 45-minute instrumental piece, entitled “Memories of the Age of Anxiety” on the meditation application [[Headspace (company)|Headspace]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/arcade-fire-share-new-45-minute-song-for-headspace-meditation-app/ |title=Arcade Fire Share 45-Minute Song for Headspace Meditation App|first=Evan|last=Minsker|work=Pitchfork|access-date=April 21, 2021|date=April 15, 2021}}</ref>

In March 2022, fans received postcards marked with the band's logo; the postcards included the note "We missed you", musical notations, as well as an image of an eye with the word "Unsubscribe" written below. Those same images began to appear in signage around London as well as on the band's social media pages, indicating the earliest signs of a new album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2178399/arcade-fire-fans-teaser-postcards-music-notation/news/|title=Arcade Fire Fans Receive Teaser Postcards With Music Notation|first=Rachel|last=Brodsky|work=Stereogum|access-date=March 5, 2022|date=March 3, 2022}}</ref> On March 14, the band announced a new song titled "The Lightning I, II" would be released on March 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/arcade-fire-releasing-the-lightning-i-ii-first-new-song-in-5-years/|title=Arcade Fire Releasing 'The Lightning I, II,' First New Song in 5 Years|work=Pitchfork|first=Madison|last=Bloom|date=March 14, 2022|access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> That same day, the band played a concert benefiting the Plus 1 [[Ukraine]] relief fund at the Toulouse Theatre in [[New Orleans]], marking their first full-band performance in over two years.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Aniftos |first1=Rania |title=Arcade Fire Announces Ukraine Benefit Show Tonight in New Orleans |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/arcade-fire-ukraine-benefit-show-1235043851/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=20 March 2022 |date=14 March 2022}}</ref> They also performed at [[Bowery Ballroom]] in [[New York City]] on March 18 and 19, benefitting the same organization.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Deville |first1=Chris |title=Arcade Fire Playing Bowery Ballroom Tonight |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2180192/arcade-fire-playing-bowery-ballroom-tonight/news/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=20 March 2022 |date=18 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Pearis |first1=Bill |title=Arcade Fire playing Bowery Ballroom AGAIN tonight |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/arcade-fire-playing-bowery-ballroom-again-tonight/ |website=Brooklyn Vegan |access-date=20 March 2022 |date=19 March 2022}}</ref> Tickets for all three shows were sold on a "pay what you can" basis.

On March 17, 2022, Arcade Fire announced that the album would be titled ''[[We (Arcade Fire album)|We]]'' and be released on May 6, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-17 |title=Arcade Fire Announce New Album WE, Share Video for New Song "The Lightning I, II" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/arcade-fire-announce-new-album-we-share-video-for-new-song-the-lightning-i-ii-watch/ |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> Later that week, Will Butler announced he had amicably left the band in 2021 shortly after the completion of ''We''.<ref name="p4kwill">{{cite web |last1=Corcoran |first1=Nina |title=Will Butler Says He's Left Arcade Fire |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/will-butler-says-hes-left-arcade-fire |website=Pitchfork |access-date=19 March 2022 |date=19 March 2022}}</ref>

Following the release of ''We'' on May 6, 2022, Arcade Fire announced the "WE" Tour, the group's first world tour since 2018, starting in August 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arcade Fire announce 2022 world tour, with stops in Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8815191/arcade-fire-world-tour-2022/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref> They again appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' on May 7, 2022, playing "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)", "The Lightning I, II", and "End of The Empire II" over the closing credits. They ended the Mother's Day performance with Win Butler stating “A woman’s right to choose forever and ever and ever, amen.”<ref name="SNL2022">{{Cite web |last=Hussey |first=Allison |date=2022-05-08 |title=Watch Arcade Fire Perform "Unconditional (Lookout Kid)" and "The Lightning I, II" on SNL |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-arcade-fire-perform-unconditional-lookout-kid-and-the-lightning-i-ii-on-snl/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Pitchfork}}</ref>

On August 27, 2022, Win Butler was accused by four people of several instances of sexual misconduct between 2016 and 2020, including [[sexual assault]], unwanted explicit texts, and pursuing relationships with younger fans ranging in age from 18 to 23.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-28 |title=Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler accused of sexual misconduct |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/28/arcade-fire-frontman-win-butler-accused-of-sexual-misconduct |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Butler and Chassagne denied the allegations and said all the encounters had been consensual.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-27 |title=Arcade Fire's Win Butler Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Multiple Women; Frontman Responds |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/arcade-fires-win-butler-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-by-multiple-women-frontman-responds/ |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> A few days later, Canadian artist [[Feist (singer)|Feist]] announced that she and her band would be dropping out as the opening act of the European leg of the "WE" Tour due to the allegations, having donated proceeds from the two shows she had already played to a local women's aid organization in [[Dublin]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=2022-09-01 |title=Feist Drops Off Arcade Fire Tour Following Win Butler Allegations: 'I'm Claiming My Responsibility' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/feist-exits-arcade-fire-tour-win-butler-allegations-1234585646/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Beck]] also dropped out as the opening act of the tour's American leg later that year.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=2022-10-15 |title=Beck Drops Off Arcade Fire's Tour Amid Win Butler Sexual Misconduct Allegations |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beck-drops-off-arcade-fire-tour-1234611878/ |access-date=2023-03-29 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

In November 2022, Arcade Fire were announced as headliners for the 2023 editions of the Kalorama festival in [[Lisbon]] and the Cala Mijas festival in [[Málaga]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geraghty |first=Hollie |date=2023-03-27 |title=IDLES, Slowthai, Arca and more join Cala Mijas festival |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/idles-slowthai-arca-and-more-join-cala-mijas-festival-3420947 |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arcade Fire and Florence + The Machine confirmed for Lisbon festival |url=https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-11-23/arcade-fire-and-florence-the-machine-confirmed-for-lisbon-festival/72329 |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=www.theportugalnews.com |language=en}}</ref> In April 2023, Arcade Fire were added to [[Pharrell Williams]]' curated festival Something in the Water, held in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Jonathan |title=De La Soul, Arcade Fire, M.I.A Join Pharrell's Something In The Water Fest |url=https://www.spin.com/2023/04/pharrell-festival-update/ |website=Spin|date=April 12, 2023 }}</ref> In June 2023, Arcade Fire was announced as a Friday headliner for [[Mexico City]]'s [[Corona Capital]] festival in November.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Corona Capital Announces 2023 Lineup Featuring The Cure, Blur, Arcade Fire, & More |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2226123/corona-capital-announces-2023-lineup-featuring-the-cure-blur-arcade-fire-more/news/ |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}</ref> Arcade Fire earned headlining slots on 2024 festivals, including all South American [[Lollapalooza]] editions, [[Shaky Knees Music Festival|Shaky Knees]] in [[Atlanta]] and [[Bilbao BBK Live]] in [[Bilbao]], Spain.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geraghty |first=Hollie |date=2023-11-28 |title=Bilbao BBK Live announce Arcade Fire, Massive Attack, The Prodigy and more for 2024 line-up |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bilbao-bbk-live-arcade-2024-line-up-3550143 |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ho |first=Rodney |title=Shaky Knees Festival 2024: Foo Fighters, Weezer, Billy Idol, Offspring |url=https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/shaky-knees-festival-2024-foo-fighters-weezer-billy-idol-offspring/HDJAOYQ2QVGRLHHXZNNPGCYL4U/ |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=Georgia Entertainment Scene Blog (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ratner-Arias |first=Sigal |date=2023-11-07 |title=Blink-182, Feid, SZA, Sam Smith, Arcade Fire & Limp Bizkit to Headline 2024 Lollapalooza in Argentina, Chile & Brazil |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lollapalooza-2024-argentina-chile-brazil-lineups-1235465755/ |access-date=2023-11-29 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 2025-present: ''Pink Elephant'' ===
{{Main|Pink Elephant (Arcade Fire album)}}
In March 2025, members of Arcade Fire performed at Luck Reunion, outside of Austin, where they debuted new songs from their forthcoming album. These tracks included "Pink Elephant," "Ride or Die," and "Year of the Snake."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dunworth |first=Liberty |date=2024-03-14 |title=Arcade Fire play three new songs at Willie Nelson's Ranch to kick off next era |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/arcade-fire-play-three-new-songs-at-willie-nelsons-ranch-to-kick-off-next-era-3846267 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> On April 4, the band published a teaser video clip on their social media accounts, and they released a [[social network]] [[mobile app]] brand-named Trust. In the app, the band published video clips including a song "Cars and Telephones."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burton |first=Poppy |date=2025-04-05 |title=Arcade Fire share video for new song 'Cars and Telephones' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/arcade-fire-share-video-for-new-song-cars-and-telephones-3852150 |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On April 7, at the end of the radio mix in the Trust app, Butler and Chassagne announced the new album ''Pink Elephant'' to be released on May 9.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunter |first=Lauren |date=2025-04-08 |title=Arcade Fire confirm new album 'Pink Elephant' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/arcade-fire-announce-new-album-pink-elephant/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rigotti |first=Alex |date=2025-04-08 |title=Arcade Fire announce new album 'Pink Elephant' on fan club app |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/arcade-fire-announce-new-album-pink-elephant-on-fan-club-app-3852755 |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The band played live previews of the full album on a promotional tour titled ''<nowiki/>'''Don't Think About the Pink Elephant';<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arcade Fire Continue Comeback Attempt with Toronto, Montreal Shows │ Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/arcade-fire-continue-the-comeback-attempt-with-toronto-montreal-shows |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Arcade Fire Continue Comeback Attempt with Toronto, Montreal Shows │ Exclaim! |language=en}}</ref> the tour commenced with nine North American shows beginning April 22 in Mexico City,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Surej |date=2025-04-15 |title=Arcade Fire reveal cities for North American 'Pink Elephant' tour |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/arcade-fire-reveal-cities-for-north-american-pink-elephant-tour-3854961 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> and concluded on May 14 with a one-off show in London.<ref>{{Cite web |last=L'Astorina |first=Filippo |date=2025-05-16 |title=Arcade Fire at the Royal Albert Hall {{!}} Live review |url=https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2025/05/16/arcade-fire-at-the-royal-albert-hall-live-review/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=The Upcoming}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dalton |first=Stephen |date=2025-05-15 |title=Arcade Fire review — an uneasy blend of knees-up and damage limitation |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/arcade-fire-review-an-uneasy-blend-of-knees-up-and-damage-limitation-v96rcq5bl |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}</ref> Prior to the first show, the band announced that Parry would be absent from the tour whilst he and his wife prepared for the birth of their first child.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pilley |first=Max |date=2025-04-21 |title=Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry to miss 'Pink Elephant' tour on paternity leave |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/arcade-fires-richard-reed-parry-to-miss-pink-elephant-tour-on-paternity-leave-3856598 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref>