Mr Schwartz

''The Car'' is the seventh studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 21 October 2022 by Domino Recording Company. It was written by band frontman Alex Turner in his home in Los Angeles and Paris. It was produced in Suffolk, Paris and London by frequent Arctic Monkeys collaborator James Ford, alongside frequent guest musicians Tom Rowley, Loren Humphrey and Tyler Parkford. It was arranged by Bridget Samuels and Turner. Drummer Matt Helders took the picture on the album cover, which depicts a white car in an otherwise empty car park. Its title refers to said cover and the abundance of references to vehicles in the lyrics.

''The Car'' builds upon the sound from the band's previous album, ''Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino'' (2018). It features a wide array of genres that include Art rock, orchestral rock, lounge pop, baroque pop, and funk, as well as elements of jazz. It also draws influence from soul music, electronic music, glam rock, bossa nova, traditional pop and vintage film soundtracks.

The singles "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball", " Body Paint" and "I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am" were released in promotion, all of which peaked within the top 25 on the UK Singles Chart. ''The Car'' received critical acclaim upon its release. Critics complimented the band's artistic progression, the album's production and Turner's lyrics, though some felt the continued deviation from the band's earlier indie rock sound would prove as polarizing. Additionally, "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball" is nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. On the charts, ''The Car'' debuted at number two in ten territories, including the United Kingdom, blocked from the top spot by Taylor Swift's ''Midnights''. It became Arctic Monkeys' first album to not reach the top spot of the UK Albums Chart.

Background and recording

The band's sixth studio album '' Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino'' was released in May 2018 to critical acclaim, but its stylistic deviation was polarizing for listeners. Right after the South American leg of the tour for that album ended, Turner began thinking of new music with the idea of writing, "a song that could close the show". His intention was to return to a more guitar heavy sound, although not the one seen in previous album '' AM''.

First attempts at writing for the album began in April and May 2019. Initial recordings happened in late 2019 at La Frette, with James Ford again as a producer, but were quickly discarded, with only an early version of track "Hello You" surviving those sessions. In 2020, Turner went back to Lunar Surface, his home studio in Los Angeles, at first, hell-bent on writing riffs and "making it louder", but the music "didn't want to go there". He wrote and recorded demo versions of the songs, written half on acoustic guitar, half on piano. The album direction was cemented when he landed on the instrumental section of opening track "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball."

After the lockdowns, in the summer of 2021, the band got together to record. They chose Butley Priory, an old monastery at the coast of Suffolk, as their new studio, after attending several events there. The decision was also inspired by ''The Great British Recording Studios'', a book gifted to Turner, by album engineer Loren Humphrey, where he saw pictures of the Stones Mobile Studio unit.
With producer Ford, the band rented it out and transformed it into a studio, while also living on-site during the recording. Turner described the place as "remote", with the sessions reminding him of their first record, which was also partly recorded in the English countryside. Turner also recounts that there were "no distractions, like in the city. Extra focus, no prying eyes". Later, vocals and overdubs were recorded at La Frette in Paris, where Turner picked up his 16mm film camera and captured footage of the band at work, Ford was apparently happy with Turner's hobby, as it kept him away from meddling too much with the recording. In London, strings were recorded at RAK Studios, arranged by composer Bridget Samuels, Ford and Turner himself.

Composition

Musical style and influences

''The Car'' builds up on the sound developed on '' Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino'', although this time more accessible than the previous record. It has been characterised as art rock, orchestral rock, lounge pop, baroque pop, and funk, The album further incorporates influences from jazz, soul music, electronic music, bossa nova, traditional pop, yacht rock and Italian film scores.

The album has been compared to the works of David Bowie, Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker, Roxy Music, John Barry,
Portishead, Jarvis Cocker, Jean-Claude Vannier, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Steely Dan, and Marvin Gaye, as well as James Bond soundtracks. Although, Turner found difficult to name direct musical influences, he mentioned the work of David Axelrod, Gloria Ann Taylor

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