The Arctic Monkey’s “The Car:” A Relieving Return to Form

Not to brag, but I liked the Arctic Monkeys before they were cool. The frenetic energy of albums like Favourite Worst Nightmare and Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not hooked me as a young high school lad and formally introduced me to my generation’s idea of garage rock. It was raw, fast, and exciting; vocalist Alex Turner spun clever turns of phrase and wordplay into poetry over catchy rock melodies and creative riffs. The band is known for changing their sound, however, and 2011’s Suck it and See introduced a decidedly smoother, more produced tone, filled with echoing vocals and unearthly guitar. AM continued this trend in 2014 and brought the band mainstream success with hits like “Why’d You only Call Me when You’re High” and “Do I Wanna Know” becoming minor anthems. The songs were large-sounding, and had blockbuster-like qualities and catchy choruses. Mixed with the band’s 1950s styling in their photoshoots, and you get a sound and image that evokes the same kind of nostalgia as Lana Del Rey’s early work: romantic, dark and complex, fringing on emo but just a little too pop-friendly in the best way.

Unfortunately, the success may have gone to the band’s heads. Their 2018 follow up, Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, did not leave an impression on fans. Both pretentious and mediocre, the album seemed to be vocalist Turner’s attempt to integrate his side project The Last Shadow Puppets into his more successful act’s sound. The result is a low point for The Arctic Monkeys. 2022 may be their year of redemption, though, as the band dropped a new album last week entitled The Car. 

Consisting of ten songs and just over 35 minutes in length, The Car was preceded by the single “Body Paint,”an early Bowie-esque track that gives listeners a fairly good idea of the album’s surreal, 60s-inspired direction. Filled with orchestral swells, The Car has a more organic sound than the band’s most recent outings. The synth heavy backdrops of  AM that brought them so much success have been replaced with brass and violins, giving the majority of The Car’s instrumentals a decidedly classical cinematic sound. Turner’s patented symbolic lyrics take on an interesting contrast when nestled between the strings and horns, as though somebody were scoring a Sean Connery-era Bond film with a full orchestra and prog-rock vocals. It’s very theatrical; the band attempts to elicit a grand, dramatic mood throughout the album’s runtime. If you listen to The Car in one sitting (and I recommend that you do) that mood is mostly achieved. 

While The Car’s main influences feel as though they come from cinematic scores and rock albums from 50 years ago, some songs do break this mold. “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am” is a funk-inspired tune that relies on a prominent guitar riff and bassline. Despite feeling slightly out of place compared to the rest of the album, it is arguably one of the standout tracks. 

In general, The Car succeeds; fans of AM and Suck it and See will enjoy the ethereal qualities of it. Lovers of the band’s early albums may find it a little sluggish, though. The lyrics are dreamy and genuinely beautiful in some places, however a hint of snobbishness does still pervade them at times. Despite this, The Car is a solid outing and a respectable return to form for one of the better indie rock bands of the last two decades.

Rating: 3/5