The Car
by Arctic Monkeys
  • Record Label: Domino
  • Release Date: Oct 21, 2022
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 289 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 231 out of 289
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 289
  3. Negative: 34 out of 289
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  1. bertobellamy
    Oct 21, 2022
    7
    Very mature album, but I think 'Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino' was far more interesting. Lyrics are top-level, but the music doesn't sound that engaging, at least on first listening. Let's see if this becomes a grower.
  2. DOWNEY2010
    Nov 9, 2022
    0
    This is the most boring album in the arctic monkey's discography. I mean there isn't one song to get excited about whatsoever. This sounds like a bad Alex Turner solo project. All these AM's fanboys saying this a masterpiece? I don't believe you. If any other band released this lounge music rubbish, you wouldn't listen to it!
  3. Etergen
    Oct 22, 2022
    9
    One of the best albums of the Arctic Monkeys, the new sounds explored are exquisite
  4. yslzus
    Oct 22, 2022
    8
    you have to feel the feelings in order to understand the beauty of this album. surely it's not for everyone. glad i can get it. an amazing album, love how arctic monkeys always improve and put out something new. people will get this album YEARS LATER, it sounds so timeless.
  5. Horror2018
    Oct 21, 2022
    0
    Alex turner continues his boring hotel lobby music in the monkeys new album. Absolutely pretentious rubbish from start to finish.
  6. Epicurus
    Oct 21, 2022
    1
    There is much better lounge music from other decades!!! This is boring pretentious drivel.
  7. kflorence
    Oct 22, 2022
    3
    Alex Turner going full on lounge mode. The most boring album I have listened to this year.
  8. moniquevbn
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    absolutely amazing. has a nice chill and relaxed vibe to it. i totally love it
  9. LewsTherin
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    What a cohesive album! Not just great songs have been added to my playlist, ‘The Car’ is an album which I’ll revisit often as a whole. The strings and keys added so much to the band’s sound, made me fell in love for them all over again. Every track is a banger, but Body Paint entered favorite-songs-ever territory. This is the kind of sound which only gets better, and because of that it’sWhat a cohesive album! Not just great songs have been added to my playlist, ‘The Car’ is an album which I’ll revisit often as a whole. The strings and keys added so much to the band’s sound, made me fell in love for them all over again. Every track is a banger, but Body Paint entered favorite-songs-ever territory. This is the kind of sound which only gets better, and because of that it’s shaping up to the one my personal favorite albums of all time. Can’t stop listening to it!… Expand
  10. jessiaeros
    Oct 22, 2022
    10
    The Car is incredible. It shows why Arctic Monkeys are considered one of the greatest modern bands. The evolution of the band can be noticed from the first song to the last. It may be a difficult album to digest for many just like what happened with TBHC but the quality and sophistication will place it as one of the best records of the band and the decade.
  11. idinahuiboi
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    A great epic jump from their previous album, the orchestra on this album is beautiful and really compliments the band and most importantly Alex Turner's vocals which have taken to a new style which I'm every part here for! Congratulations AM
  12. chuck_Vindaloo
    Nov 29, 2022
    1
    What the hell is this!! They sound like they've been heavily medicated on "doctor's order". Did someone replace Matt with an automated drum machine. Are they a weekday basement lounge band now. Is this lounge music? Did someone lobotomize the band. What did they do to them? This is terrible... Can't differentiate between any of the songs. They all sound the same and are unmemorable. ItsWhat the hell is this!! They sound like they've been heavily medicated on "doctor's order". Did someone replace Matt with an automated drum machine. Are they a weekday basement lounge band now. Is this lounge music? Did someone lobotomize the band. What did they do to them? This is terrible... Can't differentiate between any of the songs. They all sound the same and are unmemorable. Its like one really long bad spoken poetry set to generic music with intervals. I'm all for bands changing their sound and experimenting but this not that. Really breaks my heart. I've loved their music for over 15 years now. Either this sucks or maybe I'm just old and dumb, and they've evolved to another level. I'm just too stupid and just don't get it anymore. Oh well..… Expand
  13. Mvl1994
    Oct 22, 2022
    10
    Just like the previous albums, it needs a view listens to really sink in. But their new album is again a masterpiece, especially the songs Body Paint, There'd Better be a Mirroball, Sculptures of Anything Goes and Big Ideas. Can't wait to see them perform it live.
  14. avajt
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino has been my favorite album for years, and The Car feels like the perfect follow-up. It treads into new territory without completely demolishing the precedent set by the last album, and the instrumentals and vocals are some of the best that the band has ever made. For anyone who claims that Arctic Monkeys have gotten worse over time, consider that they’re notTranquility Base Hotel & Casino has been my favorite album for years, and The Car feels like the perfect follow-up. It treads into new territory without completely demolishing the precedent set by the last album, and the instrumentals and vocals are some of the best that the band has ever made. For anyone who claims that Arctic Monkeys have gotten worse over time, consider that they’re not teenagers anymore and are not going to make music that doesn’t reflect their lives. Music is almost always better when the artist does what they like rather than what the audience desires. Inauthenticity doesn’t produce greatness.… Expand
  15. omarcaba69
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    this album really has a very authentic essence and a very well achieved end as well as an unbeatable musical production, in this album we can see the true talent of the arctic monkeys And specifically the talent of Alex Turner to be able to interpret these songs written by himself
  16. rafess
    Oct 22, 2022
    10
    Listening to the album feels like a travel through many different chapters of a big story. Arctic Monkeys really knows how to set a mood. The evolution from era to era is amazing.
  17. Roderick22
    Oct 22, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Un álbum que se mece entre cuerdas y se pasea suavemente por estilos cercanos al Bossa Nova, del Trip-Hop, el pop Barroco y las guitarras españolas. Una muestra de la razón a 20 años de su formación se mantienen relevantes y misteriosos como el primer día. Una diferencia que los hace separarse de un abismo de las bandas de Indie de mediados de los 2000 ubicándose en el mainstream al borde de una banda que está lejos de la tendencia y aún así logra ser masiva. A Diferencia de sus contemporáneos de las escena de la década pasada que ahora viven de tocar sus hits y perpetuarse en la melancolía.… Expand
  18. Joaquitoch
    Oct 22, 2022
    9
    It's the Best of the Monkeys, the first five it's humbug or some dark rock alternative
  19. arian_cobain
    Oct 22, 2022
    10
    Se siente mucho la madurez de la banda en el álbum, es muy bueno en cuanto al sonido y la letra una complementación increíble.
  20. vitordill
    Oct 23, 2022
    1
    a lot is said of an evolution of the band, understandable such a vision, but it’s a difficult album to hear. even with a beautiful melody, but Alex's voice are annoying when trying to sing in a very different way than the general public was used to. it's sounds more like a solo album of the Tuner than the album of the band Arctic Monkeys. anyway, less bad than TBHC.
  21. Gosh_reiners938
    Nov 18, 2022
    1
    I was so disappointed by how much the songs sounded the same and I felt like i was in some old jazz club boring as hell do not recommend
  22. Angelica06
    Oct 24, 2022
    10
    Similar to tranquility base hotel & casino, but definitely a more mature album, you can tell that every detail was polished before recording which makes it great, the violins and the guitar solos give a different experience than what you are used to.
  23. idealpages
    Oct 26, 2022
    3
    Songs sound all the same - the tin hat being a song about literally watching paint dry. Not an enjoyable album.
  24. ezio33
    Oct 26, 2022
    2
    I haven't listened to Arctic Monkeys since "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not." I am by no means a dedicated fan, but when I noticed a new album drop, I checked it out.

    Just to confirm I was remembering "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" correctly, I put it on as well, just to compare the two. Talk about whiplash.
  25. Alix-Farron
    Dec 15, 2022
    3
    Experimental and unpleasant music topped by Alex Turner's extremely repulsive vocals.
  26. KingForADay
    Jan 10, 2023
    3
    Let me just say it outright - this album is very hard to listen to. The way to enjoy it would be if you are JUST listening to it on a rainy day in a low lit empty hotel bar in the mountains. Not while you work or clean, not while you're driving, not while you're doing anything else. You MUST give it your full concentration, otherwise it is just unbearable. For me this gives the album aLet me just say it outright - this album is very hard to listen to. The way to enjoy it would be if you are JUST listening to it on a rainy day in a low lit empty hotel bar in the mountains. Not while you work or clean, not while you're driving, not while you're doing anything else. You MUST give it your full concentration, otherwise it is just unbearable. For me this gives the album a vibe that is quite arrogant and pretentious. "Big ideas" has a very nice bluesy guitar to it, but other than this the album is as exciting as watching paint dry (funny enough - watching paint dry is mentioned on "Jet Skis On The Moat" perhaps in an attempt at a jolly forth wall break by the artists to rub in what they are making you listen to).… Expand
  27. powershindley
    Oct 21, 2022
    3
    Quite possibly the worst set of music i have ever listened to in my entire life.

    Fans seemingly love this absolute drabble but personally i believe that if a band is to experiment this much with their sound it's best left to side projects and leave the essence of what the band was in the past. The Gorillaz very rightly split off from Blur and went in a new direction to very clearly    Quite possibly the worst set of music i have ever listened to in my entire life.

    Fans seemingly love this absolute drabble but personally i believe that if a band is to experiment this much with their sound it's best left to side projects and leave the essence of what the band was in the past.

    The Gorillaz very rightly split off from Blur and went in a new direction to very clearly define the fact that the music made now by the Gorillaz is a far cry from Blur. The Arctic Monkeys should have split off and made the Autumn Orangutans the same way and left what the fans loved about Arctic Monkeys alone.

    If i wanted to listen to smooth lounge and falsetto voices i'd have picked up Robbie Williams' collective works or delved into some Richard Cheese, by the way nothing against these 2 examples just proving a point.

    I initially marked this review as 0 but upgraded it to 3 because as lounge music goes it's alright, got some funk and Alex Turner still has a beautiful voice. But Arctic Monkeys music this is not. Maybe they should have quit after they finished AM, the last good album they made.    … Expand
  28. Cockrel01
    Oct 21, 2022
    2
    Have to say that another reviewer hit the nail on the head with this Album. This is not Arctic Monkeys at all and feels a disservice to those fans who have grown up, loved their music and attended gigs in the past.

    This sadly confirms their direction to the Lounge genre and if it didn't have the Arctic Monkeys name, it would largely have gone forgotten. Fans need to ask themselves - if    Have to say that another reviewer hit the nail on the head with this Album. This is not Arctic Monkeys at all and feels a disservice to those fans who have grown up, loved their music and attended gigs in the past.

    This sadly confirms their direction to the Lounge genre and if it didn't have the Arctic Monkeys name, it would largely have gone forgotten.

    Fans need to ask themselves - if they didn't know this was Arctic Monkeys, and you heard it for the first time, would you actually buy it ?

    It's a desperate shame to see this happen to a truly talented band, who added a distinct favour to the the rock and roll genre.

    Seeing so many 10s being awarded is extremely surprising given that I'm sure there aren't many fans of rock and roll who also like Lounge!    … Expand
  29. willemb98
    Oct 21, 2022
    0
    For the life of me I cannot understand where this high rating is coming from! This album is absolute dross.

    This is an Alex Turner solo project under the name of Arctic Monkeys (Matt hasn’t been allowed to play drums properly on an album since AM). It is riding off the earlier success of this band’s name, cause if this was a debut album absolutely no one would find this acceptable as a    For the life of me I cannot understand where this high rating is coming from! This album is absolute dross.

    This is an Alex Turner solo project under the name of Arctic Monkeys (Matt hasn’t been allowed to play drums properly on an album since AM). It is riding off the earlier success of this band’s name, cause if this was a debut album absolutely no one would find this acceptable as a “rock n roll” album.

    I was already sceptical once TBHC was released, but this feels like the band took away everything I loved about them and decided to piss it back onto my face to mug me off.

    I’d rather listen to baby seals being tortured than have to ever listen to this album again    … Expand
  30. hisokavii
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    This album is a masterpiece.

    Alex songwriting is definitely getting better and better with each album.
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Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Most Discussed Album of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Record Collector
    Nov 7, 2022
    80
    The Car is a slick mover, immaculately appointed and often beautiful. What it’s driving at, though, can feel naggingly elusive.
    Read full review
  2. The Observer (UK)
    Oct 31, 2022
    80
    There is one salient, nailed-on fact about this enigmatic album, however. It’s how easily its most anthemic cuts will slot into those revved-up Arctic Monkey festival set lists.
    Read full review
  3. AllMusic
    Oct 26, 2022
    70
    Turner seems to be angling for atmosphere, not hooks, with his melodies. The free-floating croon helps The Car amiably drift in space but it also highlights how the record could use a couple of elements to bring it back to earth.
    Read full review
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