Arcade Fire's Butler on New LP: "Things Are Coming Together"

Win Butler says the Arcade Fire have begun songwriting sessions for their next record, the NME reports in the issue on stands now. "Before Funeral, me and Régine had this big room to rehearse in... People would come by and work on a song," Butler tells the U.K. mag. "Now the guys are calling and wanting to come over. We're writing and allowing the arrangements to happen. It's exciting."

After wrapping up a tour for Neon Bible, the Arcade Fire went off the radar, save for a few scattered appearances — including the staff ball during President Obama's inauguration festivities earlier this year. It was part of a conscious decision the band made to take a hiatus, but Butler tells the NME that the band members simply found themselves playing together again over the last few months.

Butler was hesitant to confirm a timeline for the album's release, but he remains optimistic: "It could be that we'll play live [soon] and maybe we'll end up bashing [another album] out fast. We're in the middle of writing, things are coming together, it's a great feeling."

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

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