Five years since their triumphant fifth record AM, Sheffield indie icons Arctic Monkeys delighted fans last week by casually announcing their new album, Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino, is available for pre-order on their official store now.
News of the mysteriously titled LP has hooked the attention of countless Arctic Monkeys fanatics who have eagerly been waiting on new material for the last half-decade, and a few days later, was joined by the divulgence of an extensive UK tour at the beginning of autumn 2018 featuring support from The Lemon Twigs.
“That rock ‘n’roll, eh? That rock’n’roll, it just won’t go away. It might hibernate from time to time and sink back into the swamp.”
Lead vocalist Alex Turner wasn’t lying when he gave his bizarre acceptance speech for Best Album at the 2014 BRIT Awards. It may have puzzled and divided the group’s followers, but perhaps the speech was hinting at the long gap between AM’s release and the forthcoming Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino; its title as cryptic as the words Turner delivered four years back in his charming Sheffield drawl.
Now only a month until its release, Arctic Monkeys devotees have been marvelling at the equally odd album tracklist, which features titles such as ‘The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip’ and ‘The Ultracheese’. Whilst some even doubted the sincerity of the title choices, it’s worth taking a look through the group’s sparkling and constantly evolving discography to see some of the other creatively named fan favourites: ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala’, ‘Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured’ and perhaps the most obvious contender, ‘Brianstorm’.
Though the feisty Favourite Worst Nightmare days may be long gone, the group’s records since have constantly shown signs of a developing sonic, most notably on AM featuring a mature, slower style which resulted in a record many view as the group’s best effort to date.
We're pleased to announce our live dates in September 2018. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 13th April. Support comes from @thelemontwigs – for more information head to https://t.co/j1hCeXFZBM pic.twitter.com/KjNK5mn1Fq
— Arctic Monkeys (@ArcticMonkeys) April 9, 2018
The Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino era is already showing signs of the group’s latest regeneration, with the only press image so far of the quartet featuring tousled hair, turtlenecks and velvet jackets. The upcoming release is described as ‘a bold and brilliant album reflecting Turner’s ever more comprehensive creative vision’, and whilst no single has been released yet, the album’s teaser trailer features an ambitious, rhythmically driven snippet which plays out like a Tame Impala-imagined interpretation of a track from AM’s older, more sophisticated sibling.
Fortunately, there isn’t long to wait for what is sure to be one of the summer’s most popular releases, which can be pre-ordered here and is out on 11 May. However it sounds, it’s sure to be a step-up from anything released before and will likely shake up what critics thought they knew of the group. After all, whatever people say they are, that’s what they’re not.