TL;DR:
Arctic Monkeys’ latest record is total nonsense in the best possible way; let Alex Turner walk you to the car.
8/10
The Car is the seventh full-length LP by the British punk-ish, rock-ish, pop-ish band Arctic Monkeys. Their latest record, once again, defies the expectations set in place by every other record in their discography thus far. This time around, the band seems to be much less focused on guitars, drums, riffs, and the general elements of a band that imply anything to do with rock music, replacing their standard sound for a foray into orchestral stabs and lounge singer crooning.
The record’s opener “There’d Better be a Mirrorball” is a stunningly gorgeous and heart-breaking ballad. Right out of the gate, the band seems to be telling us “This is it; this is the new direction we’re taking, and it’s not like the rest of our stuff.” In this way, “Mirrorball” does seem to be the perfect opener, as it provides a great image of what is to come. And while I’m convinced that I could listen to Alex Turner croon over anything, the instrumentals on this song are amazingly well constructed.
Then, in comes “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am” which opens with an array of trailing harmonies before bursting into the downright goofy, wah-effected riff that drives the song. It took me a few listens to really get used to the structure of this song, but it has become a joy to listen to.
The Car takes another turn here with a track so bare-bones it hardly sounds like an Arctic Monkeys song at all. Sonically, “Sculptures of Anything Goes” is one of my favorite tracks. The tone of everything is so washed out and dirty, and it gorgeously juxtaposes Turner’s high, dry and breathy vocals in a way that just simply makes my ears feel amazing.
“Jet Skis on The Moat” is absolutely my favorite song on the record. Turner’s esoteric lyricism reaches another level here with the opening lines “Jet skis on the moat/they shot it all in CinemaScope/as though it’s the last time you’re gonna ride.” I couldn’t tell you what any of it is supposed to mean, but boy does he sound good singing it. “Jet Skis” is a song that clearly intends to confuse the listener. It isn’t until you give it a couple of listens that it seems to come together at all. But when it does, that chorus is one of the best things you’ll hear all year.
“Body Paint” was the other lead single for The Car, and as you might guess, it also took a little while to latch onto me. Being the most forward-driven song on the tracklist, there are sections of the “Body Paint” that don’t particularly fit beside the songs that surround it. That being said, I quite like the song anyway. Some of my favorite lines from the project fall into this track, particularly: “Do your time traveling through the tanning booth/so you don’t let the sun catch you crying/my teeth are beating and my knees are weak/it’s as if there’s something up with the wiring.”
“Big Ideas” is sweet and swelling. The track meanders along at a nice pace and seems to hold the theme of the record together pretty well. The song chronicles Turner’s perspective, as he struggles to live up to the expectations he has set for himself. The instrumental section towards the end of the song fills it out stunningly and always leaves me somewhere deep in thought.
“Perfect Sense” leaves the record off on a perfect note, with a rhyme scheme that doesn’t make sense until you hear the last verse. This track is one of the most cleverly constructed on the record, while also being perhaps the most simple. The structure is essentially non-existent, and yet it manages to arrive at a gorgeous destination regardless. As a songwriter, this song blows me away.
Altogether, “The Car” absolutely holds up amongst the band’s greater discography, in my eyes. I would even put this record up there with my favorite AM record. Turner’s voice has always been gorgeous, and the band’s songwriting has officially reached all-time highs this time around. I would let him walk me to the car any day of the week.
If you liked this record, I would recommend you check out these:
*Arctic Monkeys’ 2017 masterpiece Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino.