The Arctic Monkeys Took Me To Another Realm With “The Car”
They did it once again. The Arctic Monkeys created a whole different world in The Car, their newest album, after being fairly silent in the music industry since 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. The Car transports the listener to a scene of nostalgia and stillness, even in the constant flow of sound permeating the mind. It presents a realm of longing, heartbreak, reflection upon the past, and the memories attached in its 10 orchestral, jazzy, slow, and even slower tracks.
This album differs greatly from what the group was made famous for– their hard-riff-powered, sensual rock tracks. Now we hear the band’s daydreams come to life as Alex Turner creates a nostalgic, mellow mood with his lyrics. The album’s jazz sound, in combination with the reminiscence of past emotions and experiences prevalent throughout, likely stems from Turner’s core memories as a child. He said in an interview with Zane Lowe (“‘The Car’ and New Beginnings” by Apple Music) that his most vivid memory was “being a kid… there’s swing music playing [with] my dad, and we would quite often have big band music on in the car.”
The Car came to life after the group’s drummer, Matt Helders, shared a photo he took from his Los Angeles apartment window with the band. It features an empty car park in the foreground and dim city buildings in the background, except the lot, isn’t empty. There sits a single car, a white 1987 Toyota Corolla, blending in with its surroundings, yet clear as the center of the photograph. The band agreed that this was the photo to be used for the album cover. It led to them naming the album The Car as many of Turner’s lyrics had already featured the two words. Everything fell into place. For the audience, this photo stirs wonder and curiosity about why there is a single car atop the building and makes the imagination go wild as to what is going on in the driver’s life at that moment. The album’s title and cover mirror its theme of remembrance, as Zane Lowe brings up in his interview with Turner that one’s first and most solid memories often occur in a car.
The album begins with “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball,” a song consisting of a steady, slow tempo and piano feature. The first words sung are “Don’t get emotional, that ain’t like you,” contrasting the melancholy yet mellow mood of the track and even the entire album. Turner said that he came up with the intro of this song a couple of years ago. He thought “this is the way to go” for the Arctic Monkeys’ next album and “spent the next two years trying to figure out what else should go with that.”
Next is “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am,” a groovy guitar lick with faster pacing and a trippy feeling. It reflects the song’s name as lyrics describe a party scene on the French Riviera and Turner’s disillusionment as he interacts with fellow partygoers. “Sculptures of Anything Goes” brings me back to the band’s classic intense feel with the slow drums and moog synth accompanied by a distorted sound. This is ironic as the song seems to reference fans’ criticisms of the band’s new music style since their best-selling 2013 album AM. Lyrics such as “Puncturing your bubble of relatability / With your horrible new sound” likely refer to the backlash the group received on their previous album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, according to Genius. “Jet Skis On The Moat” consists of another groovy lick with slow instrumentals. It paints an image of stillness and tells a story of a dissolving relationship between the narrator and the subject while also referencing cinema– a recurring theme throughout the album. An orchestra plays prominently alongside the band in “Body Paint,” as Turner sings of a partner and their monotonous relationship as they grow old together. “Still a trace of body paint” possibly symbolizes the subject’s younger self still present, though less visible, in their physical appearance.
“The Car” showcases Turner’s fingerpicking abilities on acoustic guitar, with the instruments and orchestra in the background producing a build-up to an electric guitar solo. Turner wrote the song after seeing the album’s cover photo. It details a holiday trip attached to the prominence of a car in the narrator’s memory. “Big Ideas” and “Hello You” continue incorporating jazz into their electric sounds, bringing up feelings of longing, regret, and goodbyes. “Mr. Schwartz” stands out to me as its beginning verses are accompanied by fingerpicking alone, adding a folk element to the song. Then join the bass, piano, drums, and other instruments. The theme of show-biz is perhaps most prominent in this track as mentions of wardrobes, a velveteen suit, and dancing shoes vividly depict a backstage setting. Turner says that the song represents “some sort of production going on in the background the whole time through this record,” and the subject is a sort of director of the group. The album closes with “Perfect Sense,” a candid song explaining the narrator’s rise to fame and success and his coming to terms with this change in lifestyle and perspective.
Listening to The Car, I was honestly at first almost put to sleep. Rather than the desire to jump up and down, scream along with the words, and play air guitar to the song, I almost fell into a trance by Turner’s voice and the accompanying instrumentals. Strings are pervasive throughout the album. In his interview with Turner, Lowe said that the strings are loud and seem to be fighting the band’s sound in songs. He said, “at times, the band is supporting the orchestra,” rather than the other way around. This album strays from classic Arctic Monkeys material in both theme and sound. However, it does not disappoint as the piece reveals the band’s more intricately emotional and mature side.
Though The Car received criticism from old fans who wanted more “classic Arctic Monkeys” rather than this new sound and vibe, I believe this album is classic Arctic Monkeys. In the end, the musicians are storytellers and should have no responsibility to please fans with the way they choose to express themselves musically. Music is for sharing personal feelings and stories, hoping an audience can appreciate and relate to them– and The Arctic Monkeys did it flawlessly with The Car once more.
Strike Out,
Parmis Etezady
Boca Raton
Parmis Etezady is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. In her free time, she likes to collect records, go to rock concerts (or blast music in her bedroom), and obsess over vintage fashion. You can reach her at petezady@gmail.com.
