Here’s Why the New Arctic Monkeys Album Is Good, Actually

Some are calling Arctic Monkeys’ latest the “worst album of 2018”. But not me.

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, the sixth album from Arctic Monkeys, has left fans at a crossroads, as the album steers clear from traditional sounds, lacking that rush accompanied by slick guitar riffs and powerful drum hits.

It feels like the Sheffield boys (Alex Turner, Matt Helders, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley) are testing the waters of their talent, and it’s not hard to believe it’s polarising listeners, even after topping the ARIA album chart.

Frontman of The Kooks, Luke Pritchard told Radio X: "It feels like it’s something that’s obviously an artistic expression that [Alex Turner] wants to give. I think it’s great when people do it without thinking too hard about what other people think”.

However, Radio X also spoke with Noel Gallagher, who said: “You'd expect a few choruses. [It] hasn't got any of them".

Social media was more cutting.

The latest Arctic Monkeys album feels like just one long song

— Zim Ahmadi (@ZimAhmadi) May 11, 2018

Why the rage?

Before Tranquility's release, we had heard no new music from the indie rock band in five years, leaving fans to shuffle between classic songs such as "When the Sun Goes Down", "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "Do I Wanna Know", which resonated within the genre they helped to mould.

From their first record, listeners were left swimming in a pool of punchy teen lyrics, surrounded by catchy metaphors and similes that made one feel the confidence frontman Alex Turner, without a doubt, feels on and off stage.

But with Tranquility, the band returned with an album that confused fans, who immediately palmed it off without giving it much of a chance.

What’s it all about then?

To some degree, it’s easy to understand why many are ferociously ripping out their headphones when they hear Turner’s crooning. Perhaps because he’s no longer complaining about lost loves, longtime listeners are failing to relate and thus failing to enjoy Tranquility at all.

But this album is so much more; it’s a concept album set in space. From the first track, "Star Treatment", listeners are immediately transported to the album’s titular location: a favoured intergalactic resort, regularly visited by an elderly lounge-singer and pianist "played" by Turner.

It’s clear Arctic Monkeys are making a statement about where the present world is headed and where they fit in it, through a character regularly reminiscing of his past.

Picture this: An elderly Alex Turner playing piano and singing to an empty lobby of a hotel on the moon, and as he does, we are transported through his memories. These flashbacks consist of the woman he fell in love with, the rise and fall of technology, and the potentially-apocalyptic reason for his ultimate arrival at Tranquility Base. Turner’s lyrics take us through this world and invite us to the growing space station, company and business that is Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

Is their new music really that different?

Sure, the new album takes a bit of turn, but it still follows Turner’s past efforts with lyrics that are strongly narrative.

The most obvious new presence is a change in instrumentation, with more piano and harpsichord (yep, you heard me; check out the title track) giving Turner’s vocals a mature and intimate tone, offering up a much more emotional side to the frontman.

Arctic Monkeys have to be commended for the way they so simply yet impressively tried a new wave of sounds and pulled it off with ease.

As you delve deeper into Turner’s lyrics, it becomes clear how impressive this album is and how powerful it can be when it comes to shaping the band’s musical career and the path it’s choosing to leisurely stroll down.

Ultimately, it’s hard to tell what the band’s true intentions were behind creating such an album, but if it was to spark conversation and use their talents to make a statement instead of a collection of familiar garage rock hits, then, hands down, they’ve succeeded.

I reckon it’ll have people coming back and most will eventually find it hard to refuse, being drawn in by the hypnotic atmosphere the band have created with this latest project. Like most experimental pieces of art, you just need to tilt your head and squint your eyes (or ears?) to fully understand it.

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is now available.

Photo: Domino