Arctic Monkeys released a fantastic new album titled The Car on October 21st. Arctic Monkeys are known for their album AM which was released in 2013, with some of their hit singles such as “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?,” “Do I Wanna Know?,” and “I Wanna Be Yours.” This album sounds quite different from AM, and people have had mixed feelings about it. Nonetheless, I am here to give you my personal opinion on the album and the band’s new sound.
There’d Better Be A Mirrorball
I think that out of the three singles that were released before The Car was released (“There’d Better Be A Mirrorball,” “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am,” and “Body Paint”), this song and “Body Paint” are my favorites out of the three. I absolutely adore Alex’s vocals on this, and I love the piano in the background. (Again, I’m a sucker for anything involving piano). Also, the orchestra in the background!! This is just such a soothing song in terms of the instrumental, and Alex’s vocals just add to that. I feel like this song was a good way to start off their new album. Out of a 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am
This is such a groovy song. I especially love the instrumentals during the chorus. Again, Alex’s vocals are just so heavenly. Even though I said that “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” and “Body Paint” are my favorites, there is a potential for this to become another one of my favorites if I listen to it more often. Each single has their own different musical style, and I feel like the three singles released cannot really be compared to one another. Nonetheless, I’m glad they decided to release those three as singles, because I feel like they’re good introduction songs to the album, and help people get used to their new sound. (Although Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino was the first album released that had a very different sound from their previous albums) Out of a 10, I would rate this song an 8.5/10.
Sculptures Of Anything Goes
In this song, some of the lyrics mention how a lot of people didn’t like their last album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, and how people expect them to sound the same as they did on their AM album. There are also some lyrics that allude to him wanting his fans to like their new sound as much as they like their old sound. Lyrics aside, the sound of this song is so dark and moody, and I’ve seen countless fans on Tiktok who like this album say that this is a fan favorite song off the album. I would have to agree, since this song is already on my list of top listened songs for this month, and this month just started. Out of a 10, I would rate this song an 8.5/10.
Jet Skis On The Moat
When this album was first released, I found myself listening to this song a lot. This is another funky/groovy song off of the album, and again, I love the instrumentals in the background. It also sounds so smooth due to the instrumentals after the chorus is sung for the second time. After listening to this song so much right after this album dropped, I have to say that this has become another one of my favorites off of the album. Out of a 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
Body Paint
Again with the beautiful piano and violins in the background. This is another one of my favorite singles from the three they released before the album was released. My favorite part of this song is the refrain, right after the instrumental break. The instrumental during the refrain is just so good, its so addicting to listen to. The guitar solo after the refrain is also another one of my favorite parts in this song. Out of a 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
tHE cAR
This song is such a soothing song off of the album, and I absolutely love it. I’m such a sucker for instrumentals, and so it probably won’t surprise anyone when I say that I love the instrumentals in this song. The instrumental break in this song is just so good. I think this is another one of my favorites, and yes, I am aware that I have a lot of favorites from this album. It’s impossible for me to pick just one favorite song when it comes to Arctic Monkeys, and especially when it comes to this album. Out of a 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
bIG iDEAS
This song sounds to me like Alex and the rest of the band had a lot of big and new ideas for their new album, The Car, but this album that they have created isn’t like the big ideas they first had. Now the “orchestra’s got us all surrounded,” as a majority of the songs on this album have strings playing in the background. Their sound has changed so much since AM, and people have had mixed feelings about Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, that he cannot remember the previous ideas he had for this album. Out of a 10, I would rate this song an 8/10.
hELLO yOU
This is absolutely my favorite song off of the album, besides “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” and “Body Paint.” The guitar riff in the beginning and during the chorus is very addicting to listen to, and I eventually want to learn that part on the guitar. I feel like this is such an upbeat song (in terms of instrumentals), and everytime I hear it my mood becomes 10x better. Alex’s vocals have been amazing throughout this entire album, but I especially like his vocals during verse 3, which is my favorite part of the song. This song has also somehow combined the three instruments I can play into one song (violin, piano, guitar), which is another reason why I like it so much. Out of a 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
Mr Schwartz
I have to say that I do not listen to this song as much as I should. I really like the acoustic guitar in the beginning, and again, paired with Alex’s vocals, it sounds so soothing and angelic. I also like the strings in the background as the last chorus plays. I wish I had more to say about this song, but I simply just do not listen to it enough. Out of a 10, I would rate this song a 7/10.
Perfect Sense
Again, I absolutely love the orchestra in this song. I listen to this song a little bit more than I listen to “Mr Schwartz,” however, I still feel like I don’t listen to this song enough. I love the beginning of this song, with the drum playing in the background all by itself. I feel like this song was also a good song to wrap up this album and to close it off. Out of a 10, I would rate this song a 7.5/10.
Overall, the album The Car by Arctic Monkeys was great to listen to, and I am thoroughly enjoying their new sound. I hope that fans that are wary of this album because of their different sound eventually give it a chance and come around to liking it. I also hope that I’ve convinced someone to give this new album a listen to with my review.