It is borderline impossible to avoid the name Arctic Monkeys at this moment in time, with the indie rock legends set to release their sixth studio album Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino. However, whilst the internet mulls over some of the questionable titles from the forthcoming release, ‘The World’s First Ever Monster Truck’ and ‘The Ultracheese’ causing particular concern, it seems poignant to delve back into the Arctic Monkey’s discography and pluck out one of the best tracks from the lavish history of Britain’s biggest band: I’m going back to ‘505’.
Harvested from 2007’s Favourite Worst Nightmare, ‘505’ continues the precedent set by the band’s debut album’s Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not’s ‘A Certain Romance’ in finishing with a hefty flourish. Fresh from the success of the band’s debut, with Favourite Worst Nightmare the Arctic Monkeys had already shown a reluctance to standstill, a mobility that transformed Alex Turner from a chirpsy, angsty Sheffield lad to a deep brooding embodiment of suave machismo, and nowhere was that more clear to see than on the apprehending ‘505’.
Lyrically, Turner is at his poetic best, as he makes his pilgrimage back to his awaiting lover in hotel room 505, he displays his tendency for the explicit as he croons over the lines “I’m always just about to go and spoil the surprise/ Take my hands off of your eyes too soon”. The song is way before its time, evoking a romanticism and air of class that can be seen in much larger volumes in 2013’s AM, contrasted with the rustic authenticity that harks back to the band’s roots that are grounded in the nightclubs of Sheffield. ‘505’ epitomises everything about the band. Drawing from all areas of influence, the Arctic Monkey’s ever shifting musicality and themes are compiled into one perfectly formed four minutes and thirteen seconds package. The song has become a ubiquitous presence in any Arctic Monkey’s live set list, and even with the introduction of Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, it is unlikely that they’ll find a better track to close the night on.
Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino is out on May 11th via Domino
