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Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? (Single review)
Wednesday 19th June 2013 | James
In between recording their forthcoming fifth LP this year and getting engaged (well, Matt Helders has anyway), Arctic Monkeys have the little matter of headlining Glastonbury for the second time in their relatively short career. Alex Turner said in 2011 that he felt the band "needed another crack at it". He got his wish when the call from Michael Eavis came through (at the expense of the rising stars of Kasabian and Arcade Fire) and the Sheffield quartet have repaid the faith shown in them by officially releasing their brand new single 'Do I Wanna Know?' this morning.
Whilst Helders and Turner suggested that the band were heading back to the direction of the Humbug era (i.e. vests, rock god hair and obtuse lyricism) with the release of the brilliantly playful 'R U Mine?', 'Do I Wanna Know?' hints at a darker, more melodic Monkeys. The song begins with a smoldering riff before Turner croons "have you got colour in your cheeks?". The thumping nature is reminiscent of the heavier parts of Suck It and See rather than the more abstract and formidable Humbug (which will delight some fans) and Turner's vocals are the strongest he has ever recorded.
Eerie backing vocals from Matt Helders are overlaid to show that fun is still an essential part of the Yorkshire troupe's personalities and Turner's eloquent use of language is the real highlight of the track. Too many times throughout his career Turner has followed a strict formula which saw kooky nouns describe abstract adjectives. This time, however, Turner's romanticism is heart-tugging ("There's this tune I've found which makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat until I fall asleep") and has the unique English ability to switch to humour ("been wondering if your heart's still open and, if so, I wanna know what time it shuts") with the flick of his ever-shifting tongue.
By James Rodger @jamesdrodger
