Arctic Monkeys

"The Car" is the seventh studio album from Arctic Monkeys, a British rock band. It was released on October 21st, 2022 by the Domino Recording Company, and was written by band frontman Alex Turner in Los Angeles and Paris, produced by frequent collaborator James Ford, and arranged by Bridget Samuels and Turner. The album cover features a white car in an empty car park, and the album's title refers to both the cover and the many references to vehicles in the lyrics.

Musically, "The Car" builds upon the band's previous album "Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino" featuring a diverse range of genres such as art rock, orchestral rock, lounge pop, baroque pop, funk, jazz, soul, electronic music, glam rock, bossa nova, traditional pop, and vintage film soundtracks. Lyrically, the album explores show business and nostalgia.

The album was promoted with the release of three singles: "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball", "Body Paint", and "I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am", all of which reached the top 25 on the UK Singles Chart. Upon release, the album received critical acclaim for its artistic progression, production, and Turner's lyrics, although some critics found the departure from the band's earlier indie rock sound divisive. "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball" was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

"The Car" was recorded in various locations, including Suffolk, Paris, and London, with initial attempts at writing and recording in 2019 quickly discarded. Turner ultimately returned to his home studio in Los Angeles, where he recorded demo versions of the songs on acoustic guitar and piano. The band recorded the album in the summer of 2021 at Butley Priory, an old monastery in Suffolk, and vocals and overdubs were recorded in Paris. Strings were recorded in London and arranged by Bridget Samuels, Ford, and Turner himself.