ALBUM: Welcome to Alex Turner’s pit stop on an existential journey.
By Chloe Vega, Staff Writer
Previously when Arctic Monkeys were brought up in a conversation, a distinct image often came to mind: the iconic English rock band, causing a ruckus within the younger generation and flipping the bird to conventional ideology. But, with their return from a five year hiatus, the band brought with them a new sound, turning their existing aesthetic on its head.
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is the sixth studio album from Arctic Monkeys, long-awaited after the release of AM, the band’s last album in 2013. Unlike its strictly rock and roll predecessors, the album takes a daring dive into a soothing, almost psychedelic sound psychedelic, once completely unfamiliar territory for the musical group.
Named after the moon-landing site Tranquility Base, on which human life walked for the first time in 1969, the album fittingly opens with its space-age track “Star Treatment.” The songs stay true to the “hotel” premise, weaving in every sort of introspection, from “Everybody’s on a barge floating down the endless stream of great TV,”(Star Treatment) to “Dancing in my underpants , I’m gonna run for government, I’m gonna form a covers band an’ all,” (One Point Perspective). The eclectic variations in style and content between every song make for a captivating and intriguing listen.
Despite being the polar opposite of Arctic Monkeys’ pre existing works, its unique style doesn’t make Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino any less successful with fans. In fact, the album is the band’s sixth consecutive album to top the charts at No.1. The biggest complaint fans have had is regarding the short beard Alex Turner, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, has sprouted since their last appearance onstage. Though, despite their petition’s 3,000 plus signatures on Change.org, it doesn’t seem that he’ll be shaving anytime soon.