In late August, English rock band the Arctic Monkeys announced their seventh studio album titled The Car. The album was released October 21, 2022, and surprised many fans with the sounds being vastly slower than previous albums such as AM.  

The band was born in Sheffield, England in 2002, and skyrocketed to popularity in 2013 when their fifth album AM was released with many of the tracks being the most popular on their discography. Arctic Monkeys is often compared to another indie rock band, The Neighbourhood and both bands share the same fan base due to the similarities in their sound. Many of their tracks follow their indie rock genre, however The Car is at a much slower pace than the past albums. 

 The album was introduced by the singles that were released before the rest of the tracks, which were, “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball,” “Body Paint,” and “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am.” The pre-album tracks elevated the statistics for the album and surprised fans by being vastly different. 

“I think the songs being slower on The Car mark a new era for Arctic Monkeys, and it also shows how versatile the band can be,” junior Christina James said. 

 Not only do the fans but also multiple music reviewers agree that the tracks sound the same. Ultimately this caused little to none of the songs to stand out in the media, such as TikTok which is where many of the tunes from AM became popular during quarantine in 2020, such as “505’ and “I Wanna Be Yours.” 

However, there are more upbeat songs on the album such as, “Hello You” which is more upbeat with the quality of the song which allows for a palate cleanse. It also appeals to more of the fans that like the band’s more exciting songs. This theme is also shown in “Mr Schwartz” and “Perfect Sense.” 

Most of the tracks are guitar heavy, and the instrumentals blend effortlessly with the raspy tone of their vocalist Alex Turner.  

Even though The Car has its differences, The Car has still proven to be a beautifully produced album that will, in time, start to grow on unhappier fans. 

Olivia Montgomery // Opinion Editor