Creature Comfort

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"Creature Comfort"
Single by Arcade Fire
from the album Everything Now
ReleasedJune 16, 2017 (2017-06-16)
GenreSynth-pop[1]
Length4:43
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Arcade Fire singles chronology
"Everything Now"
(2017) 		"Creature Comfort"
(2017) 		"Signs of Life"
(2017)
Music video
"Creature Comfort" on YouTube

"Creature Comfort" is a song by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. It was released on June 16, 2017, as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, Everything Now. The song was co-produced by Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Pulp bassist Steve Mackey.

Music video[edit]

The "Creature Comfort" music video was directed by Tarik Mikou. The video depicts the members of Arcade Fire wearing shiny golden suits performing in a plainly decorated room as a strobe light flashes intermittently. The song's lyrics scroll via a ticker with the lead vocals at the bottom and the backing vocals at the top.[2][3] Stephen Thompson of NPR interpreted the video as complementing the band's narrative on the album: "unrealistic expectations, pressure to conform, and the exhausting din of modern life."[3]

Promotion and release[edit]

Arcade Fire first performed "Creature Comfort" on June 1, 2017, at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona.[4] On June 14, Arcade Fire posted a teaser for the studio version of the song on their Facebook page. The clip took the form of a mock advertisement for a 100% marshmallow breakfast cereal that contains methylphenidate, or Ritalin, and ended with a warning that the marshmallows "are not approved for consumption in the United States and Canada".[5][6] The band also revealed that they had distributed Creature Comfort cereal boxes at several locations around Dublin.[5] Fans who found the cereal received entry to an afterparty at Whelan's that night following the band's performance at Malahide Castle.[7] "Creature Comfort" was released as a download on June 16, 2017 on streaming and digital media services.[8]

Reception[edit]

The song received critical acclaim from critics and fans upon release, many noted its moving lyrics and tight instrumentation. Elias Leight of Rolling Stone likened the song to The Human League's "Seconds" and The Knife's "Heartbeats" and wrote: "Underneath the curtain of synthesizers, ringing power chords, pulverizing drums and cheerfully shouted backing vocals, lead singer Win Butler tells a grim tale about cultural pressures that lead men and women to hate themselves."[2] In reviews for the song in The Independent, Jacob Stolworthy said the track "signals that Arcade Fire's best days may not be behind them", and Christopher Hooton remarked, "It's the kind of song where you don't know whether to cry or dance, and that's probably the best kind."[9] Jeremy Gordon of Spin described the synthesizer that sets the song's tempo as "the sonic realization of the band's decade-old dream about the dark mystery of the city."[10] Pitchfork's Jillian Mapes said that while the song "will stop someone from doing something rash ... Arcade Fire are pompous about knowing that, throwing their arms wide around the problem and presenting their own music as the solution."[11]

Credits and personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (2017–18) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[13] 6
Canada Rock (Billboard)[14] 10
France (SNEP)[15] 142
Scotland (OCC)[16] 91
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[17] 28

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Arcade Fire - "Creature Comfort" (Singles Going Steady)". PopMatters. July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Leight, Elias (June 16, 2017). "See Arcade Fire Revive Glossy New Wave in 'Creature Comfort' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Thompson, Stephen (June 16, 2017). "In 'Creature Comfort,' Arcade Fire Drowns In The Din Of Modern Life". NPR. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Strauss, Matthew; Sodomsky, Sam (June 1, 2017). "Watch Arcade Fire Perform New Song 'Creature Comfort' at Surprise Primavera Show". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Britton, Luke Morgan (June 14, 2017). "Watch Arcade Fire preview new track 'Creature Comfort' in mock cereal advert". NME. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  6. ^ Rettig, James (June 14, 2017). "Arcade Fire Tease New Song 'Creature Comfort' With a Commercial For Ritalin Cereal: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  7. ^ Cummins, Steve (June 15, 2017). "Watch: Arcade Fire play new track 'Creature Comfort' at secret gig in Whelan's". The Irish Times. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  8. ^ Geslani, Michelle (June 15, 2017). "Arcade Fire share rousing new single 'Creature Comfort' — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  9. ^ Hooton, Christopher; Stolworthy, Jacob (June 16, 2017). "Arcade Fire new song 'Creature Comfort' review: A disco anthem about not killing yourself". The Independent. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (June 16, 2017). "Arcade Fire's 'Creature Comfort' Sounds Like the Band They've Been Trying to Be". Spin. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  11. ^ Mapes, Jillian (June 16, 2017). "Tracks: Arcade Fire - 'Creature Comfort'". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Arcade Fire - 'Creature Comfort'". Tidal. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  13. ^ "Arcade Fire – Creature Comfort" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  14. ^ "Arcade Fire Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  15. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 25, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  17. ^ "Arcade Fire Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  18. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Arcade Fire – Creature Comfort". Music Canada. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
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