Last week the indomitable Arctic Monkeys released ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’, their first single since 2018 full-length ‘Tranquility Hotel Base & Casino’. The release – given the five-star treatment here at NME – arrives hot on the heels of their momentous third headlining performance at Reading & Leeds, following a string of shows around Europe.
The elegant slow-burner is also our first preview of the group’s seventh studio album, ‘The Car’. Alongside the yet-unreleased ‘I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am’ (which they’ve been road testing in recent shows), ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’ gives us an intriguing look into the next era of the band’s sonic explorations.
‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’ is our latest addition to the NME Radio A List, alongside other new tracks including Gorillaz’ collaboration with Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, a standout track from KhakiKid’s new EP, and the latest jams from I.JORDAN, Crawlers, Special Interest, and more.
Check out the newest additions to NME Radio 1 and 2 below:
On the A List:
Arctic Monkeys
‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’
Arctic Monkeys make their grand return to the spotlight with ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’. Following the experimentation of their last studio album, the newly released track finds them not only choosing to double down on their inclination towards slower tempos and lusher instrumentation, but also further refining the sonic formula of ‘Tranquility Base’.
Against jazzy drums, Alex Turner croons about the demise of an intimate connection (“So if you wanna walk me to the car / You oughta know I’ll have a heavy heart”). This romantic mood is elevated to cinematic heights by sweeping strings which take over the final quarter of the song. In NME’s five-star review, we hailed the track “the sound of a band with the headlights on full beam, following their muse to a destination only they can know”. – Eli Ordonez
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
