‘The Car’ is the 7th studio album from the Sheffield rockers.
If there is one thing known about the Arctic Monkeys, it’s that they’re not afraid to change their sound. Their first two albums were filled with garage-rock and indie-inspired bangers, ‘Humbug’ took a more psychedelic route and ‘AM’ was a rock album delivered in black and white suits.
The most dramatic of changes, however, occurred on the band’s 6th studio album ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’, an album that can best be described as an adventure into the unknown of plush lounge rock. While Turner’s lyricism shined here, its retro aesthetic inevitably alienated some day-one fans. Despite this, the band showed that they’re no longer one to dwell on a hazy Saturday night out, but instead one trying to push the boundaries and scope of what it means to be a British rock band, and they’re continuing to do so on their newest campaign.
The result is ‘The Car’, an effort that thrives where ‘TBHC’ fell short. Multiple listens were required on the previous album to peel back the instrumentals and themes on display, but instead here the listener is thrown into the deep end and shown textures and depths not heard before previously.
‘The Car’ frequently reminds you of a soundtrack to a movie we all love to revisit. Take the second single for example, ‘Body Paint’. The piano playing has a dream-like quality to it and Turner’s familiar ambiguous lyrics, “There’s still a trace of body paint/On your legs and on your arms” reminds of a time when the fanbase wasn’t so divided. It all comes together excitingly at the end with Turner unleashing his guitar that sounds exasperated from neglect.
The voice of Alex Turner has been one of much discussion with each album release, with some unfairly commenting that its own identity has been lost from the ritz of America. While his vocals may no longer represent a teenage boy from Sheffield, he’s never sounded better. The lead single, ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’ showcases this, with the 36-year-old’s voice guiding the listener through a romantic ballad that feels openly nostalgic. “Yesterday still leaking through the roof”, sings Turner while the song thrives in its own simplicity, neglecting dance floors for romantic blues.
Throughout the album comes an exciting sense of unpredictability. ‘The Car’ takes a left turn on, ‘Sculptures of Anything Goes’, with the quaking synths resembling an excerpt from Blade Runner. Lyrically, Turner seems lost, wandering around the song, “Performing in Spanish on Italian TV” to “Wondering if your mother still ever thinks of me”. The result is something equally intriguing as it is futuristic, and it’s the closest the band get to replicating the Kubrick-esque aesthetic of ‘TBHC’.
Frequently, it seems the Sheffield band are less concerned with song structure, and more focused on creating a particular mood or feeling. There aren’t many catchy choruses on display, and this is particularly true on the title track. Instead, the band choose to use singing string sections that steer the listener around the track while Turner’s storytelling shines. The same can be said for the album’s final song, with the lyric, “Sometimes I wrap my head around it all and it makes perfect sense” perfectly encapsulating the album as a whole. The structure may be unorthodox, but there remains an atmospheric fluidity tying it all together.
Arctic Monkeys can always be certain to show ambition, and this is never more true on ‘The Car’. The instrumentals are more inspiring, Turner seems more confident in this cinematic sound and the rest of the band is welcomed back to the forefront this time around. ‘TBHC’ may have lost the band a few day-one fans, but ‘The Car’ might just win them back.