With their last album being released in 2020, Arctic Monkeys released a new album entitled “The Car” on Oct. 21, 2022. This album contains a slight change in the genre of music they usually produce, going from a slight rock tone, to almost jazz. This has happened before with their album, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino,” in 2018. 

The Arctic Monkeys next step in their career is finding a way to make the new songs coexist with the old. While their albums “AM” and “Tranquility Base” contain a clear break in genres, they both coexist comfortably in “The Car.”

When asked about his new album, Arctic Monkeys bassist Nick O’Malley said, “It’s definitely not just four people playing indie music any more.” Also, Alex Turner, the lead singer of Arctic Monkeys, said about this album: “I think there’s this idea of when starting a new record [is the] ‘we’re-not-gonna-make-it-anything-like-the-last-one.'”

Turner is still one of the great modern lyricists. He delivers turns of phrase that are eye-popping in their specificity and wit. For example, in “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am”, the second track on this album, Turner sings, “Blank expressions invite me to suspect I ain’t quite where I think I am.”

“The Car” is being compared to works from artists like David Bowie and Scott Walker and brings back 70’s rock and glam, yet is still recognizable as the Arctic Monkeys.

The fact that Arctic Monkeys never made the same album twice most likely contributed to their longevity and friendship. They have been a band since mid 2002 and have just reached their 20th year anniversary. 

Tallah Laban, a sophomore at WVW, said that her favorite Arctic Monkeys album is “AM” and her favorite song is “I Wanna Be Yours.” She doesn’t listen to Arctic Monkeys normally, but listens to them on occasion. When asked what her thoughts were on the genre change, she said, “I honestly didn’t like it because I really liked their album before and it kind of had a downgrade.” Tallah rated the album a two out of ten. Her favorite song on the album is “Perfect Sense.”

Tom Cunningham, a math teacher at WVW, said that his favorite album is “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.” He also only listens to Arctic Monkeys occasionally whenever their songs come on. Cunningham on the genre change said, “I don’t always like when a band changes their sound so drastically, however, I think they have the right pieces to do it well. It really brought back David Bowie vibes.” 

He said he enjoyed the album but was shocked by how much they switched genres. He claimed the album was a six out of ten then decided to change it to six and a half. His favorite song was “Mr. Schwartz” while his least favorite is “Sculptures Of Anything Goes.”

“The Car” by Arctic Monkeys has reached number two on charts in ten territories. Taylor Swifts’ new album, “Midnights” has stopped the album from going up any spots in those territories. 

Many people do not enjoy this album and claim it to be “old-fashioned.” These critics may show Arctic Monkeys in a bad light but help with sales as many people want to contribute their opinions as well.