Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" (also known simply as "Sprawl II") is a song by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. It was released as the sixth and final single from their third studio album, The Suburbs, on April 21, 2012. Two music videos were released for the song, one "traditional" and one interactive, both of which were released on December 13, 2011.

"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
Single by Arcade Fire
from the album The Suburbs
B-side	"Ready to Start" (12")
Released	April 21, 2012
Genre	Synthpop dance-rock[1]
Length	5:25 (album version) 6:44 (single version)
Label	Merge Sonovox
Songwriter(s)	Régine Chassagne (As R. Chassagne)
Producer(s)	Arcade Fire Damian Taylor (single)
Arcade Fire singles chronology
"Speaking in Tongues" (2011) "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" (2012) "Reflektor" (2013)

Composition

"Sprawl II" is a synthpop song.^[2] It features vocals delivered by Arcade Fire band member Régine Chassagne^[3] and was primarily inspired by the 2003 Tracy Kidder book, Mountains Beyond Mountains.^[4][5]

Release

A remix of "Sprawl II" by the Belgian electronic band Soulwax was previewed on BBC Radio 1 on March 20, 2012.^[6] Later that year, the song was released as a 12-inch single on April 21 as part of Record Store Day 2012. A remixed version of the song appears as the A-side, with a remixed version of another track from The Suburbs, "Ready to Start", as the B-side. Both remixes were done by Canadian music producer Damian Taylor.^[7][8]

Critical reception

Pitchfork awarded "Sprawl II" the designation of Best New Track, with critic Larry Fitzmaurice calling the disco production "a glorious change-up for the band and its fans".^[9] In a retrospective analysis, Jim Beviglia of American Songwriter called the song a "rousing anthem" and one of The Suburb's "finest moments".^[10] In best songs of the decade rankings, "Sprawl II" was ranked number 74 by Uproxx, number 50 by Pitchfork, and number 20 by NME.^[11][12][13]

Music video

A music video for "Sprawl II", lasting five minutes and forty seconds, was released by Merge Records on December 13, 2011, prior the song's physical release, through YouTube. The video was directed by Vincent Morisset and primarily features Régine Chassagne throughout the video.^[5] An interactive version of the music video was also made available, where the user can determine the video's speed by dancing along using their webcam.^[14][15]

Track listing

• Merge / Sonovox — MRG442^[8]

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"	6:44

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Ready to Start"	7:53

Charts

Chart (2012–13)	Peak position
Canada Rock (Billboard)[16]	48
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[17]	24
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[17]	4
US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[17]	10

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalogue no.
United States	April 21, 2012	Merge Sonovox	12"	MRG442[8]
United Kingdom		Sonovox		2793767[18]

References

1. Pitchfork Staff (October 8, 2019). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 6, 2023. ...and pointing Arcade Fire toward their dance-rock future with the stunning "Sprawl II".
2. Breihan, Tom (March 19, 2012). "Arcade Fire – 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Soulwax Remix)'". Stereogum. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
3. Tedesco, Austin (September 24, 2010). "Arcade Fire – 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)'". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
4. Hogan, Mike (August 2010). "Hall of Fame: Arcade Fire". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
5. "Arcade Fire presents 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)'". Merge Records. December 13, 2011. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2016 – via YouTube.
6. "Listen: Soulwax Remix Arcade Fire's 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)'". DIY. March 20, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
7. "The Top 45 Releases of Record Store Day 2012". Pitchfork Media. April 20, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
8. "Arcade Fire - 'Sprawl II / Ready to Start' (Vinyl)". Discogs. April 21, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
9. Fitzmaurice, Larry. "Arcade Fire: "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
10. Beviglia, Jim (September 10, 2024). "Post-Millennial Classic: "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," an Anthem of Escape from Arcade Fire". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
11. "The 100 Best Songs Of The 2010s, Ranked". Uproxx. October 9, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
12. Pitchfork (October 7, 2019). "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
13. NME (December 4, 2019). "The Best Songs Of The Decade: The 2010s". NME. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
14. "Arcade Fire 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)'". Rolling Stone. December 16, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
15. Phillips, Amy (December 16, 2011). "Dance Along With Arcade Fire's 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)' Video". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
16. "Arcade Fire Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
17. "Arcade Fire Chart search". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
18. "Arcade Fire – 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)' / 'Ready To Start' (Vinyl)". Discogs. April 21, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2016.