By Danica Ward
Staff Writer
The elusive Arctic Monkeys just released their first single since 2022. The band has kept extremely quiet since the release and tour of their last LP, “The Car.”
There are no signs of a record in the near future just yet, but the band has nonetheless returned to help benefit the War Child UK charity album. Set to be released on March 6, the star-studded album contains music from artists such as Damon Albarn, Big Thief, Fontaines D.C., Olivia Rodrigo, Wet Leg and Depeche Mode. With a mix of covers and unreleased relics, the album looks promising indeed.
The album, titled “HELP(2),” aims to direct proceeds towards the charity of War Child UK, helping children experiencing and affected by global conflict. In their mission statement, the organization’s website states, “...we are driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war. Using our 30 years of experience and proven methods, we aim to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and stay long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery.”
Arctic Monkeys has been affiliated with the independent organization since 2018, with proceeds being donated from their show at Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as the subsequent release of the show’s live album.
For their addition to “HELP(2),” the Monkeys decided on an unfinished song from either their “Humbug” or “AM” album eras, recorded in California’s Joshua Tree desert. The song revisited is titled “Opening Night,” and surely contains the loose, groovy style that the band has cultivated since 2018’s “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.”
In an article for Rolling Stone, drummer Matt Helders states, “[Alex Turner] never got to scratch the itch of completing this song…We’d jam it out and try to write parts for it. It never got over the finish line, but it was too good to just leave alone.”
Though the song might have come out differently than it would have sounded when the band was in the thick of their croony rock ‘n’ roller era, it still sounds uniquely and unmistakably them.
Turner’s voice is immediately recognizable, with his drawn-out vocals and thick Sheffield accent. The seemingly random lyrical composition, classic for Turner, is accompanied by those high-octave backup vocals that harken back to 2013’s “AM.”
The stinging guitar and soft piano have again made their way into the Monkeys’ style, while also highlighting the percussive genius that is Matt Helders, as well as the continuous groove that bassist Nick O’Malley brings to the table.
Though it seems that the band may not be returning to their alternative style that once defined them in the late 2000s, it is still clear that Arctic Monkeys have not lost their grip on their style.
