Our first “Single of the Month” for this new academic year is Sheffield’s very own Arctic Monkeys, and their fantastic new single Body Paint.
Body Paint, the band’s second single in the lead up to their seventh album The Car, is an incredible mix of baroque pop, 70s rock and the lounge-singer sound that Alex Turner has become known for over the last few years. In many ways, Body Paint seems to be the culmination of the musical journey Arctic Monkeys have clearly been on since the start of the “Tranquility Base”-era. The track begins with Turner crooning over a muted, measured backing, very similar to tracks like The Ultracheese from their sixth album. However, half-way through the song, the band switches into a far heavier, more energetic sound, where Turner’s and Jamie Cook’s guitars seemingly take over the track. The piercing riff perfectly accompanies the refrain “There’s still a trace of body paint on your face and on your arms and on your face”, with the anthemic nature of the song being a nice contrast to the more complex lyricism of the last album.
Body Paint is easily one of the best Arctic Monkeys song in recent memory. The band have seemingly taken all that was good from the divisive Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, whilst improving on the flaws. Whilst the first single from this new era, There’d Better Be A Mirrorball, was great, we really hope Body Paint is more indicative of the sound of the upcoming album, as if it is, The Car is guaranteed to be one of the best things Arctic Monkeys have ever produced.
