Famously unwilling to sit still and commit to any one sound, the Arctic Monkeys’ genre varies from album to album. Its discography spans from indie rock to hip hop to garage grunge. While this type of ambition doesn’t always land well with critics when other bands attempt it, with Arctic Monkeys it always seems to work. This might be because the way the band arranges its songs always stems from the same DNA source, or because Turner’s vocals are like nothing else on the scene.
The Arctic Monkeys experienced an unusual rise to fame. School friends Alex Turner, Matt Helders, and Andy Nicholson formed the band in 2002 as an instrumental-only project. Jamie Cook soon came on board as a second guitarist — it was he who came up with the name “Arctic Monkeys.” Turner soon got past his reluctance to be the band’s lead singer, and on June 13, 2003, the group played its first-ever gig at The Grapes in Sheffield.
Over the course of 2003, the band demoed 18 songs — a collection that would eventually be dubbed Beneath the Boardwalk. It gave the songs away on burned CDs at shows, which fans quickly began to file-share with one another. Its popularity began to grow across northern England, even gaining the attention of the BBC. In 2005, it recorded and self-released an EP called Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys, which led the band to sign with Domino Recording Company.
In 2006, Arctic Monkeys released its debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, which became the fastest-selling debut album in the history of the UK music charts. It’s also regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in history — no surprise that it won Best British Album in 2007 at the Brit Awards. The band even defeated the dreaded sophomore slump when its second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, won the same award the following year.
It takes a lot of vision to craft an upward trajectory from a high starting point like that. Arctic Monkeys continued releasing new albums every two years or so: Humbug in 2009, Suck It and See in 2011, and AM in 2013. Every single one debuted at number one in the UK – a first for an independent-label band.
The Arctic Monkeys’ fifth album, AM, vaulted the band’s career forward, with the single “Do I Wanna Know?” from that album winning international fame. After topping four Billboard charts, the hit was given the vaunted platinum designation in the UM and won Best British Album in 2014.
If you’re trying to judge a band’s chutzpah, look no further than the choices it makes after achieving extreme success. After going platinum, the Arctic Monkeys took four years to craft Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Released in 2018, this album broke free from the band’s guitar-driven indie rock roots and moved to piano-based music. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2019 Grammys.
The Arctic Monkeys took another four years to perfect the sound for its next album. The Car, released in October 2022, debuted second on the charts in ten territories – and likely would have claimed the top spot if not for a new release by Taylor Swift at the same time.
As Arctic Monkeys tour dates continue to populate the calendar for 2022 and 2023, catch the band live to see one of the most exciting stage shows in the world right now. Turner’s songwriting along with the band’s arrangements and live stage team make it a must-see for this year. Find a concert near you on Songkick.
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