Will Butler shares new single 'Bethlehem'

With his eagerly-awaited new solo album arriving at the end of next week, Arcade Fire frontman Will Butler has now unveiled the next cut to be lifted from his forthcoming full-length.

The new single 'Bethlehem' follows on from the previously shared tracks 'Close My Eyes' and 'Surrender' in previewing his new LP 'Generations', which arrives on the 25th September via Merge Records.

Speaking about the new offering, he said, "This song partly springs from The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats:​ "what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" Like a lot of folks, I woke up after the election in 2016 mad and sad and scared and exhausted. This song is born of that emotion.

"My bandmates Jenny Shore, Julie Shore and Sara Dobbs sing the bridge, and it’s a corrective to my (appropriate?) freaking out - this isn’t the apocalypse. You’re misquoting Yeats. Get your fucking head on straight. History has not ruptured - this shit we’re in is contiguous with the shit we’ve been dealing with for a long, long time. But still, we sometimes do need an apocalyptic vision to make change. Even if it’s technically wrong. I dunno. It’s an ongoing conversation."

Check out the new video for 'Bethlehem' in the player below.

More News

The Decemberists announce new album 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again'

After the rousing response to their much-loved LP 'I'll be Your Girl' in 2018, The Decemberists have now returned to announce the details behind... 1 week 2 days ago

Cat Burns announces debut album 'early twenties'

Having been one of the more hotly-tipped emerging artists these last few years, Cat Burns has now announced her plans for her long-awaited debut... 1 week 2 days ago

Ride deliver new single 'Monaco'

With their eagerly-awaited new album landing at the end of the month, Ride have now dropped the final cut to be lifted from their forthcoming full-... 1 week 3 days ago

Vampire Weekend share new single 'Classical'

With their highly-anticipated new album now less than a month away, Vampire Weekend have dropped the next cut to be lifted from their forthcoming... 1 week 6 days ago

The Lemon Twigs unveil new single 'A Dream Is All We Know'

With their eagerly-awaited new album landing in the coming months, The Lemon Twigs have now dropped the next cut to be lifted from their forthcoming... 2 weeks 8 hours ago

Eades return with new single 'Fade Away'

Following on from the release of their much-loved 2022 album 'Delusion Spree', Eades have now returned to share a brand new single. The new track... 2 weeks 14 hours ago

Lynks shares new single 'Tennis Song'

With their eagerly-awaited debut album now less than a month away, Lynks has dropped the next cut to be lifted from their forthcoming full-length... 2 weeks 16 hours ago

Mount Kimbie collaborate with King Krule on 'Empty & Silent'

With their long-awaited new album now less than a month away, Mount Kimbie have returned to deliver the next cut lifted from their forthcoming full-... 2 weeks 1 day ago

Metronomy return with new single 'Nice Town'

Following on from their highly-praised 2022 LP 'Small World', Metronomy have now returned to share a brand new single. The new track 'Nice Town'... 2 weeks 1 day ago