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Alex Turner says ‘Arctic Monkeys’ steered clear of sci-fi lyrics on new record

Alex Turner says the ‘Arctic Monkeys’ steered clear of science-fiction lyrics on their new record.

The band’s frontman was speaking about the group’s seventh album ‘The Car’, which comes after 2018’s ‘Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino’ – a concept album about a resort on the Moon.

Alex, 36, told The Yorkshire Post newspaper on Friday (21.10.22): “I would imagine at some point there was an intention to not go anywhere near science fiction-sounding things with this record – in the lyrics or the music.

“We may have successfully evaded science fiction in the music side.”

But he added: “There are actually a few instances where a bit of that language hangs over from the last one, probably more than I even realised.

“There’s plenty about it that feels different to me from the last one. There’s a progression in the dynamics of the whole thing. Perhaps it executes those ideas more effectively.”

Alex also added about the new release, out now, in an interview with the NME on Friday the band didn’t think they would still be making records when they started out.

He added: “The records we’re making now are definitely different now to the ones we probably thought we would be making when we started out – actually, we didn’t think we’d be even making records anymore.

“Twenty years ago, I didn’t envision ourselves going beyond… well, the fact we gave ourselves the name ‘Arctic Monkeys’ alludes to the extent of ambitions we had.

“When I think back to earlier times, I feel like we were just running on instinct, creative decisions included.

“I mean, like, first and foremost, we didn’t really know how to play our instruments at the start. But beyond that, I don’t really think that much within the band has changed a great deal; we might know a few more tricks, but we’re still rolling on that very same instinct.

“I think that’s the key difference maybe with (‘The Car’) and the last record… perhaps we didn’t quite have a grasp of the dynamics of the bigger, newer sounds we were exploring.

“But playing together live again certainly helped us to get there, and we developed a better awareness of each other. You find yourself in a different place when you take the songs to a new setting beyond where they were recorded.”