Ahead of Arctic Monkeys’ hotly-anticipated seventh studio album The Car, we have curated the Sheffield four-piece’s top ten tracks to help ease you through to tomorrow.
10.’Star Treatment’ (2018)
‘Star Treatment’ is definitely a song that can be described as a grower. As the opening track on the Monkeys’ Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, it perfectly encapsulates their reinvention as a group, with a tune that feels like it belongs in a jukebox in a bar on the moon. Many lament the loss of Turner’s motivation to continue writing about a misspent youth in High Green, but the man himself said that writing ‘Star Treatment’ was a similar process to their first record. A more grown up stream-of-consciousness, if you will.
9.’Body Paint’ (2022)
After twenty years of being a band, not only does ‘Body Paint’ perfectly display the Monkeys’ cohesiveness as an ensemble, but it creates a feeling of nostalgia for a lover you may never have had. If you listen to any part of this song, listen to the final minute and a half for one of their most emotive guitar solos to date. The second single to be released from The Car, ‘Body Paint’ is sonically quite similar to Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, but it feels more mature. And there’s just something about hearing Alex Turner say “And if you're thinking of me / I'm probably thinking of you”.
8.’Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’ (2011)
One of Turner and co’s few nonsense numbers from Suck It and See, this track snares you in with its energising guitar riffs as opposed to the usual draw of Turner’s lyrics. It is undoubtedly one of their heaviest tunes to date. While it does feel slightly out of place alongside the rest of the album, it is ultimately a solid rock anthem that was made for those who perhaps don’t care about being told a story, but just want something to bang their heads to.
7.’The Ultracheese’ (2018)
Arguably the most personal song Alex Turner has ever written, ‘The Ultracheese’ is an anthem of self-reflection and regret. The guitar solo is a highlight, and strikingly similar to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Albatross’ in its wispy and nostalgic aesthetic. However, it is the lyrics that make ‘The Ultracheese’ the success it is. The track is blessed with one of the most striking closing lines of any Arctic Monkeys LP: “Oh, the dawn won't stop weighing a ton / I've done some things that I shouldn't have done / But I haven't stopped loving you once”.
6.’R U Mine?’ (2013)
Not many albums summarise unrequited love as perfectly as Arctic Monkeys’ era-defining AM. ‘R U Mine?, the album’s lead single,’ is tantalising in its bravado. This is a track that screams confidence, a clear indication to the world that, as the band declared in their infamous Brit Awards speech in 2014, rock’n’roll “just won't go away”.
5.’Brianstorm’ (2007)
Written about a strange man the group met while on tour in Japan, drummer Matt Helders’ immense talent is what makes this tune so great. Alongside ‘The View From The Afternoon’, this is Helders at his most mesmerising. It’s quite tiring just watching him play this frenetic tune, but that is part of its appeal. A masterclass of rock’n’roll percussion.
4.’I Haven’t Got My Strange’ (2009)
This track is definitely one of Turner’s lyrical standouts, commenting on human nature through the lens of an affair. “I had a hole in the pocket of my favourite coat / And my love dropped into the lining” is such a clever lyric it’s almost unbelievable. It was the right choice to make this a b-side as it feels slightly disconnected from the gloomier Queens of the Stone Age-esque vibe of Humbug as a record, but it is by far one of their most underrated tracks.
3.’Evil Twin’ (2011)
‘Evil Twin’ is a perfect summary of the Suck It and See era’s theme - longing for somebody but not wanting to let it show. It contains one of Nick O’Malley’s funkiest basslines, and makes you feel ready to take on the world. What more could you ask for from an indie record?
2.’When The Sun Goes Down’ (2006)
This is by far the standout track on the Monkeys’ debut album, which at the time was the fastest selling debut in British chart history. I don’t think I realised quite how good ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ is until I found myself linking arms with strangers in a Leeds pub and bellowing the classic riff after a pub crawl, which I think perfectly encapsulates the appeal of the Monkeys’ debut: a timeless album that still unites the youth, almost twenty years later.
1.’Crying Lightning’ (2009)
Coming in at number one, ‘Crying Lightning’ is a track that simply can’t be matched. The evocative lyrics draw you into a relationship with a person who initially seems quite callous, a person who appears to find joy in making others miserable. Above the thunderous guitar and marching snare drum, Turner laments in an equally meditative and aggravated manner: “You never looked like yourself from the side / But your profile could not hide / The fact you knew I was approaching your throne”. But it’s clear there’s more beneath the surface; ‘Crying Lightning’ flawlessly presents how it feels to love somebody that doesn’t know how to let you in.
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