On Arctic Monkeys’ latest album, the band drains themselves of adrenaline to play a set of songs that go back in time and try to revive a group of dated sounds. The guys play with sunshine pop, garage rock, and even some Queens of the Stone Age-esque riffage make it into the mix.
But the problem is, the band’s spin on these old school sounds isn’t that interesting. For a fan, it may be interesting to see the group do something different, but as someone who isn’t a diehard for this group, hearing the ‘Monkeys do this isn’t any more thrilling than hearing any other group do it.

There are a few tracks here that standout from a songwriting standpoint, but much of this record is about hearing the band play with a bunch of sounds they love, not develop something with a distinct style or personality.

Still, it’s better than Beady Eye, I guess.

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