There’s something about the name “William Butler” that rings a bell. Oh! That’s right, he’s Win Butler’s brother, the lead singer of Arcade Fire. Guess what, Will’s in the band too.
With Arcade Fire’s switch of style on Reflektor, I honestly had no idea what Policy would have in store for me. Especially since I didn’t know how much creative input Will has in the group, and if I’d listen to Policy and go, “oh yeah, he’s Arcade Fire.” In all actuality, there are moments that are Arcade Fire-like, and I can see his influence on the band, which was actually really cool.
Group band dynamics have always been something that I have been interested in: who writes the songs, who makes the creative decisions, what each member brings to the table, etc. It seems to me that Will brings all those little moments in the harmony or background music that subtly add to the unique sound of Arcade Fire in the best way possible.
On his solo project however, Policy is only 8 tracks, 27 minutes-long, and too harshly reviewed by the critics. It seems as if everyone wanted Arcade Fire, something huge, something massively composed and energetic. But that’s not what Policy is about. Policy is about Will Butler. I think that it’s fantastic that he had this break to record his own music, out of his own personal creation, and in fact, I really enjoyed this record.
Listen on Apple Music and Spotify.