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Will Butler + Sister Squares

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A little over a year ago, Will Butler announced that he was leaving Arcade Fire. (A few months after Will’s departure, his brother Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct, so the timing felt like, well, timing.) Anyway, these days Will has been releasing his own post-Arcade Fire music: “A Stranger’s House” and “Nearer To Thee,” plus “Willows,” a song credited to Will Butler + Sister Squares. The “Sister Squares” are actually Will’s backing band (Sara Dobbs, Julie Shore, Jenny Shore, and Miles Francis, who is listed as producer), and they’ve been playing with him for a decade. Now, Will + Sister Squares have announced their new self-titled album, coming September 22 on Merge.

Along with the news is a lead single and video, “Long Grass.” Here’s Will offering a bit of background on the album, which was recorded at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn and Miles’ Synthia Studio:

I met Jenny — my wife! — in college, the year before I joined Arcade Fire. When I needed a band to tour Policy [Merge, 2015], I asked [Jenny’s sister] Julie to join because I trusted her musically. And I asked Sara, Jenny and Julie’s childhood friend, because I knew she was super talented. Antibalas (who I was drumming for) opened some Arcade Fire shows,” says Miles, who offered to play drums anytime Will needed. Will, Julie, Sara, and Miles jelled on tour and everyone worked on vocal arrangements. All along, Jenny contributed to recordings and general performance ideas, and she joined onstage in 2019.

After Generations [Merge, 2020], I considered making a weird solo record. Me alone in the basement, etc., etc. Mostly I realized that what I wanted was the opposite.

I had quit my band Arcade Fire very recently, after 20 years—maybe the most complex decision of my life. I had spent the preceding two years at home with my three children. I was 39 years old. I was waking up every morning and reading Emily Dickinson, until I had read every Emily Dickinson poem. I was listening to Morrissey, to Shostakovich, to the Spotify top 50. I had unformed questions with inchoate answers. But, honestly, I was feeling great about the record.

Miles adds, “Will and I organically discovered our relationship as a production duo through making this album. We didn’t have to talk too much about things as they happened, because the music just flowed. As a producer, working with Jenny, Julie, and Sara is the dream. They connect so innately. In one motion they can conjure a mood, or get at the root of a feeling.”

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Will Butler + Sister Squares // LONG GRASS (Official Video)

from the forthcoming record "Will Butler + Sister Squares" out on Merge Records September 23

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Willows - Will Butler + Sister Squares

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Inches away from finishing a record with this crew

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Arcade Fire at OSHEAGA: Foo Fighters, and Love for Taylor Hawkins, Playing for and supporting Haiti

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Arcade Fire's Win Butler on the early days of the band, its new album and more

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CgmAEHAop3Q/

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This video came together so fast. While @davidadjmi (!!!!!!!!!!!!) was writing the script in like one weekend, me and my friend/producer Adrienne were riffing on the idea for the video. “Kind of a waterfront bar vibe, 4 AM” was an approximate idea and I was like “I wonder if we could film at my friend Alex’s restaurant (@holywaternyc !!!) it’s so vibey and it might not be open to the public yet?” and Alex was like “yes you should definitely come film here. How about Friday daytime? It’s our opening weekend though so maybe you could be out by 4pm?” And then he showed up Friday morning on the opening weekend of his restaurant to help us load stuff in the elevator. And the staff had set up tables for us the night before after service. The generosity was extremely above and beyond (We tried to put the place settings back the right way at the end and I think we got it like 90% right) Adrienne brought a bunch of raspberries and some VERY nice pastries, and @de_urioste and @peteazen and @nonaiscool jumped right in (I had never met any of these folks before—though Adrienne knew them—and what a treat to work with new exciting people holy moly). Very grateful to the @illiumpictures crew. This was all 10 days ago; very excited to have it come out so soon. Hope you like it! Link is in the biiiiiooooooo

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Will Butler - A Stranger's House (Official Video)

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“A Stranger’s House” / “Nearer to Thee” out now! Link in bio. Video for “A Stranger’s House” coming today at 10am ET; it’s so good, will post about it ha ha

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Will Butler - A Stranger’s House