Arctic Monkeys have revealed “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball,” a retro new single from their upcoming album The Car.
Drummer Matt Helders previously revealed that Arctic Monkeys’ next album “kinda picks up where” 2018’s loungey Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino left off, and “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball” certainly proves his point. Lush with swelling strings and piano, the song begins on an almost ominous note before fully acquiescing to Alex Turner’s most cinematic, Phil Spector-inspired desires. Even the track’s grainy, sepia-toned music video fits the vibe, as the band track the song in collared shirts and dress pants. Take a trip back to the ’70s below.
The Car arrives in full October 21st via Domino, and pre-orders are ongoing. Shortly after announcing the album, Arctic Monkeys shared details about its general vibe, including the semi-contradictory teaser that it is, in fact, “louder” than Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Following the footsteps of such revered acts as Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, the band first recorded The Car not in a traditional studio, but in converted Suffolk monastery. “We went there in the summer, took all the equipment, got the raw material and then took it on elsewhere,” Turner said. Of the finished product, the frontman explained that “The strings on this record come in and out of focus and that was a deliberate move and hopefully everything has its own space. There’s time the band comes to the front and then the strings come to the front.”
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Last week, Arctic Monkeys debuted another new song from The Car, “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am,” at a show in Zurich. Later this year, they’ll perform at Primavera Sound Los Angeles and Life is Beautiful Festival, as well as Primavera Sound’s trio of South American festivals in Brasil, Chile, and Argentina. Grab tickets to all of their upcoming dates here.