By Skylar Jones
Staff Writer
After five years of radio silence, Arctic Monkeys finally released their newest album, “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” on May 11.
The album is a blast from the past due to its retro-style tracks, which feature slow beats, electronic guitar riffs and unwavering vocals. The music is tranquil and allows one to calm down and relax, but the lack of variety in the tracks causes the album to become repetitive and monotonous.
Arctic Monkeys is an indie alternative band formed in England in early 2002. The band consists of lead vocalist Alex Turner, lead drummer Matt Helders, lead guitarist Jamie Cook and lead bassist and backup vocalist Nick O’Malley. Their most recent album contained the breakout single “Do I Wanna Know?,” which was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
“Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” is the band’s sixth studio album release and contains eleven tracks. The album launched on May 11, 2018 by Domino Recording Company. Arctic Monkeys released a music video for the track “Four Out of Five” on May 13 on Youtube.
“Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” incorporates unique cosmic space sounds throughout each track. The album is based on a ‘70s-style hotel in space, and many tracks feature the sounds of a spaceship zooming through space. This aspect of the album feels unlike other indie and alternative rock albums, making it highly memorable.
The tracks on “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” are reminiscent of vintage David Bowie releases. Arctic Monkeys’ “The Ultracheese” particularly seems to draw inspiration from the soft, sonorous vocals and chord progressions present throughout various tracks on David Bowie’s 1977 album “Heroes.”
The track “She Looks Like Fun” is refreshing with its originality and a resemblance to the band’s old style with dense instrumentation. Turner’s vocals are consistently flawless and never stray away from the steady beat.
Although the tracks on “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” captivate listeners, they eventually become repetitive and boring due to the monotonous beat and the unvarying instrumentals. Adding to this, few songs on the album contain a chorus and seem to carry on with the same beat for much too long. Vocalist Alex Turner’s vocals persistently remain in the same range, making the tracks sound highly repetitive and gradually more boring as the album progresses.
“Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” is a unique and amusing album. Arctic Monkeys creatively incorporate a space theme into the album. Despite the album’s slight dullness and monotony, Arctic Monkeys’ artistic originality is evident.
Released on May 11, “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” is available for purchase for $9.99 on iTunes and for streaming on Spotify, Youtube and Apple Music.
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