Alex Turner warned you. He explicitly said “don’t sit down ‘cause I’ve moved your chair”. So what did the world do? They sat down, hypnotised by the reckless serenades of Suck It And See, settling into it like a comparatively more comfortable armchair than 2009’s Humbug. That is until the unexpected release of ‘R U Mine?’ which knocked everyone tumbling to the floor as if they’d been kung fu fighting on their roller-skates in a thundersuckle fuzz canyon. For many, Arctic Monkeys still had a lot to prove, but as if the haircuts, provocative album title and a series of soft-porn music videos starring their very own Matt Helders weren’t enough, they haven’t stopped there.
Currently residing in LA, recent photos see Alex’s chest straddled by a fox-haired mystery girl at the airport and a week later, with the release of ‘R U Mine?’ it’s probably safe to deduct that, yes, yes she is. Call me selfish, but after Alex & Alexa’s split last summer, the first, I mean the second thing that I thought of obviously after how sad it was, was the potential musical and lyrical gold dust to be had from the end of their 4 year relationship. But it seems like it’s more lust rather than love-lost that’s taking up most of his time and song subjects.
The new song certainly steps up their game with the usual relentless tenacity that we’ve come to expect from them, reaching into the depths of their roots, we see a more developed sound that’s reminiscent of the early days of Whatever People Say I Am… but with more bite if that’s possible. Spending time with Sheffield Superman Richard Hawley seems to have had a huge influence on them; ‘R U Mine?’ sounds deep and gritty, and the ultimate culmination of Turner’s riddling witty lyricism and Helders’ white knuckle ride of drum beats. It’s proof that they haven’t lost their sense of humour, or, as aptly put by Nick O’Malley, their form.
True to that, there’s no waiting around for the song to get started, Matt Helders’ pounding staccato drum beats leading the way for Alex’s riddles to set in full flow. Kicking into the chorus, the drumming gets heavier and steadier, cue the catchiest two-line hook; “I go crazy ‘cause here isn’t where I wanna be / satisfaction feels like a distant memory.” It might take a while for you to get your tongue round it but the moment you hear it it’s nigh-on impossible to get it out of your head, not that you really want to. Lo and behold, three minutes and twenty seconds later, you knew it all along, the question mark really wasn’t necessary for a rhetorical question, they just want to hear you say it, yes we most definitely are theirs, I.D.S.T.
This certainly stands them in good stead for the rock n roll hall of fame but the real question here is, in five years time will it be, “who the fuck’s Richard Hawley and why does he look like Alex Turner?”
By Bella Eden Roach
