They’re back on their bullshit. Art-rock collective Arcade Fire, led by multi-instrumentalist Régine Chassagne and vocalist Win Butler, have released a lush, 15-minute film that combines ‘Put Your Money on Me’ and ‘We Don’t Deserve Love’, both taken from divisive 2017 album ‘Everything Now’. It sees the band, bankrupt in the video’s narrative, agree to be propped up by a shady corporation called Everything Now Corp, who then own the group’s back catalogue and 98.3% of their royalties. This continues Arcade Fire’s controversial album campaign for ‘Everything Now’ which saw them set up a satirical Twitter account in the fictional corporation’s name, among other japes. ‘Money + Love’ is extremely Arcade Fire – they’re apologetic, it seems – in many ways, as we shall see.

1) Creature Comfort cereal!

Back in June, the band teased the release of single ‘Creature Comfort’ with a trailer for a fictional cereal of the same name. They actually created the cereal in real life and hid it various part of Dublin before they performed in the city’ Malahide Castle. Here, Regine is forced to pose with the stuff in a piece of product placement – a video within a video. What will they think of next?

2) Rock star behaviour from Win Butler!


Refusing to be held down by his corporate overlords, the cowboy hat-loving vocalist storms off the stage mid-performance at a casino, knocking over people’s and – gasp! – throwing playing cards. Its your ‘Funeral’, Win.

READ MORE: A brief history of Arcade Fire

3) Weird grey corporate boiler suits!

They were first seen in the video for the barnstormin’, ABBA-soundin’ 2017 comeback single ‘Everything Now’ and here the unflattering but undeniably practical outfits make a utilitarian return as the band are co-opted by the dastardly Everything Now Corp. Win – spoiler alert! – escapes form the heist but the rest of the band don’t, and in the end he slinks back to his place, dutifully adoring himself with the corporate garms. No, Win does not live up to his name.

4) Director David Wilson’s Drive-style visuals


The band have worked with the filmmaker since he directed the video for their David Bowie-featuring 2013 single ‘Reflektor’. They also roped in actor extraordinaire Toni Collette (Krampus, Little Miss Sunshine) to portray the bad boss in ‘Love + Money’, proving Arcade Fire know a thing or two about killer collaborations.

5) A general distrust of capitalism

That’s what this whole album campaign has been about: globalisation is scary, corporations are evil art should never dance with commerce. Woah! Makes you think tough, eh? Here’s one very un-Arcade Fire thing about the film: it’s pretty fatalistic and pessimistic, essentially saying that we are doomed to compromise our childhood dreams become drones for The Bloody Man. Weren’t Arcade Fire always about jubuliation and freedom and escape?