Photo Courtesy of NME
On Friday, Oct. 21, Arctic Monkeys released their seventh studio album, “The Car.” It experiments with a medley of emotions, instrumentals and references to convey maturity.
While some may be nostalgic for the Y2K or the 2014 Tumblr era, this album proved that Arctic Monkeys is well past those times. At its best, there were gentle touches that the artists were once heavy on, like the drums, bass and rock. In this album, listeners are granted a softer palette but a beautifully painted picture nonetheless.
The lead-off song, “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball,” is an interesting creative choice. It is heavy on that instrumental influence early on, but what really entices the listener are the repeated stop-and-gos from the drums around the 40 to 50 second mark. It makes one wonder when the lyrics are coming, really adding that dramatic flair. What can absolutely be appreciated is the cyclical music. If not for the lyrics, this could be one of the best contenders for elevator music.
“I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am,” is a song that is objectively great to have in the background for a get together. It won’t ever find its way to a frat basement, but what it could do is play quietly while a couple is cooking, like in every rom-com. Steady bass and guitar, fun rhythm and “here for a good time” is how listeners can categorize this song.
It’s easy to write off “Sculptures of Anything Goes” as the vibes take a drastic turn. The bass made it sound like the song was out of a sci-fi movie, hence the previously mentioned Y2K nostalgia, but the connections one could make to other works feels infinite. The intro audio sounds incredibly similar to Taylor Swift’s “Ready For It,” but don’t roll your eyes (unlike what the lyrics suggest). One could also make the reasonable artistic connection between this song and Arctic Monkey’s “Do I Wanna Know,” released in 2013. If you’re doing a lyrical dive of “Sculptures of Anything Goes,” that’s when “505” from the band’s album “Favourite Worst Nightmare” rushes to the mind.
“Big Ideas” is where fans can hear the maturity of this group. It’s slow, it’s serious and it’s not easy to consume. It’s a song that fans should listen to and chew on. It might not be for everyone, but it’s worth experiencing.
“Hello You” starts off with guitar eerily similar to “Knee Socks,” so I can only imagine the smiles some longtime fans will have when they hear this for the first time. Interesting violins are sprinkled throughout the piece in addition to other instrumentals. It’s the same group as before, but they have aged like a fine wine.
Lastly is “Mr Schwartz.” There’s a lot to unpack here. So much, in fact, that a Google search of the meanings behind the lyric is necessary, because a surface-level reading feels nonsensical. Alex Turner’s poetry leaves us guessing, so prepare for some borderline conspiracy theorizing, like Taylor Swift-fans-piecing-together-Easter-eggs-level theorizing.
Most of the lyrics allude to how this “Schwartz” character struggles with his own internal issues – his mental health, particularly. Talking about and dealing with the difference between his self-image and how others perceive him makes you wonder if this is a reference to Turner’s own struggles, like he is putting everything that’s real on an imaginary person to cope.
Some of the songs from “The Car” felt like they came out of the left field for the group. It looks like the Arctic Monkeys are no longer strictly rock, and time will tell if this is a phase or not.
