Alex Turner Says Arctic Monkeys’ New Single Is Due Out “Soon”
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Music News Arctic Monkeys
Amid the mounting hype surrounding the new Arctic Monkeys album, frontman Alex Turner has provided an update on when we might hear new material, according to a fan on Twitter.
Said fan, William Hann, tweeted a photo with a bearded, disheveled-looking Turner, whom he claims told him that the band’s new single will be out “soon.”
@ArcticMonkeysUS just met Al again. I can confirm the beard remains, but he gave away nothing about UK dates and said the single would be “soon” ??????????? pic.twitter.com/WY6DEzBgGc
— William Hann (@williamhann86) March 5, 2018
On Sunday, Arctic Monkeys announced six European headlining shows with support from Tame Impala’s Cameron Avery. These, plus the festival dates they announced in late January, constitute the band’s first headlining shows in four years.
Pleased to announce 6 European headline shows in May/June 2018 – support from @cameronavery – tickets on sale 9am(GMT) on Friday 9th March – https://t.co/j1hCeXFZBMpic.twitter.com/hroUBZ76al
— Arctic Monkeys (@ArcticMonkeys) March 4, 2018
In announcing their worldwide festival dates, Arctic Monkeys conspired with many big international fests to hold their full lineups, just so the band could simultaneously announce their 2018 festival dates. They will make appearances at Dover, Del.’s Firefly Festival, Spain’s Mad Cool Festival, Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret, Belgium’s Rock Werchter, Scotland’s TRNSMT Festival and more.
We’re pleased to announce our 2018 festival dates. Full information at https://t.co/j1hCeXFZBMpic.twitter.com/0LSBftUUZb
— Arctic Monkeys (@ArcticMonkeys) January 29, 2018
Arctic Monkeys are expected to release their sixth studio album this spring or summer, and it is one of the most highly anticipated records of the year, especially given the juggernaut success of their 2013 album AM. Paste’s Robert Ham wrote of AM, “the Monkeys still sound as punchy and fiery as ever; they’ve just embraced a glammed-out rock sound that is as surprisingly comfortable as Turner’s slicked back ‘do.”
Speaking of the band’s look, their new band logo, as shown in their festival announcement video and on their social media profiles, and new website, could signal a more retro sound, with its color scheme and font mimicking the aesthetics of Turner’s ‘60s-influenced side project band The Last Shadow Puppets’ latest record. The band’s longtime producer James Ford is rumored to be at the helm of their new album, the recording of which reportedly began at a secret location last September. Bassist Nick O’Malley said in an interview last year, if their new album isn’t out in 2018, “we’ve got problems.”
Check out Arctic Monkeys’ upcoming 2018 live shows below—fingers crossed that we’ll have some new music soon from the famed Sheffield, England rock quartet.
Arctic Monkeys Tour Dates:
May
22 – Berlin Germany @ Columbia-Halle
26 – Rome, Italy @ Cavea
29 – Paris, France @ Zenith
June
02 – Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound Festival
04 – Milan, Italy @ Mediolanum Forum
08 – Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands @ Best Kept Secret
14-17 – Dover, Del. @ Firefly Festival
22-24 – Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany @ Southside Festival
22-24 – Scheessel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
26 – Dusseldorf, Germany @Mitsubishi Electric Halle
27 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
July
01 – Glasgow, Scotland @ TRNSMT
04 – Gdynia, Poland @ Open’er Festival
06 – Athens, Greece @ Rockwave Festival
08 – Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter
12 – Lisbon, Portugal @ NOS Alive Festival
13 – Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool Festival
August
08 – Oslo, Norway @ Oya Festival
09-11 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Way Out West Festival
11 – Helsinki, Finland @ Flow Festival
14 – Budapest, Hungary @ Sziget Festival