The Evolution of Arctic Monkeys

By Lilly Palmer I July 2025

album cover "the car" by Arctic Monkeys

Over the past two decades, we’ve seen the monkeys hit the indie scene heavily. With their skyrocket to British chart success following their first album ‘Whatever People Say I am, That's What I’m Not’  in 2006, alongside their success across the world over the subsequent years. Of course, like many artists do, the monkeys alternated and experimented with different sounds, which has led to a mix of opinions on later albums like ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’. Therefore, throughout this, I plan to analyse and scrutinise the evolution of the Arctic Monkeys' albums and their cultural impacts. 

‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m not’

 In 2006, the band released this perfect debut album. Its raw and grainy sound was adored across Britain and immediately drew attention with its tracks like ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ and ‘A Certain Romance’, which immediately became fan favourites and indie classics. Of course, as this album is their debut, we don’t expect any experimentation from the band as there's already enough pressure from record companies for them to find a sound which was exclusively theirs. However, within this album, it’s evident that the monkeys succeeded in producing something which was so uniquely theirs and inspired numerous other bands for years to come.

‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’

Album-wise, following such a powerful and influential debut album, we were presented with ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ in 2007. In this album, we can again see the sound discovered in ‘Whatever People Say I am, That's What I’m Not’ carried forward without major experimentation, which isn't surprising as the band had easily found what works for them success-wise. ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ is another fan favourite as it still gives the aspect of the 2000s raw indie scene alongside yet slightly more intricate than the previous album, as Turner manages to write much deeper and heavier lyrics into tracks that are still bouncy and lively. Notably, this album perfectly encapsulates the idea of adolescence and buoyant naivety across songs like ‘This House is a Circus’ or ‘Brianstorm’.

‘Humbug’

Off the back of that, in the late summer of 2009, we were given the third Monkey's studio album, ‘Humbug’. This album in itself is more experimental in its ways, both musically and physically, as this is where we even see the band becoming more confident in themselves as the hair gets longer. Remarkably, this album has a much heavier sound, like the opening track ‘My Propeller’, with the occasional lighter and softer sides as seen in ‘Secret Door’, which is, above all, different to what we’ve previously seen from the monkeys by this point in their discography. Music videos we also see the monkeys heavily experiment with during this era, including the infamous ‘Cornerstone’ and ‘Crying Lightning’ music videos, which are so significant to how the band evolves as they explore different areas, such as the more kaleidoscopic, psychedelic approach seen here with a contrast of familiar basicity to more advanced special effects.   

‘Suck It And See’ 

In 2011, we saw the monkeys attempting to hit America. This once again meant more experimentation with stylistic choice, as in this album, we can evidently see a myriad of different densities across tracks, from bouncy and energetic to heavier rock sounds. Once again, it’s creditable that the band gets progressively more experimental following each album. Yet in ‘Suck It And See’ we are almost pulled into more melancholic songs like ‘Love is a Laserquest’ amongst some of Turner’s slightly eccentric and alternative tracks such as ‘Don't Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’. It’s notable at this time the monkeys are easily a household known name after their great UK successes (with them performing at the 2012 olympics the following year), therefore its not unrealistic that they try to tackle the American music scene which is unmistakably seen in this albums music videos like ‘Evil Twin’ or ‘Brick by Brick’ with their American powerfully filmic summer aesthetic. 

‘AM’

Sultry, dark, and promising: This would be three ways to simply describe this album. Of course, this is the band's most recognisable album and subsequently most popular. Within this critically acclaimed album, we’re presented with the heaviest form of writing the monkeys have presented. Perfectly encapsulating the raw lustful atmosphere that hit the indie scene in 2013 with the emergence of other bands like ‘The 1975’ or ‘The Neighbourhood’. Which makes this album so significant, as its buildup was almost a catalyst to the indie rock bands we see surface in the following years influence-wise. By this point, the band had quickly stormed America's rock scene and made it so it’s no wonder this album quickly ranked up the awards, quickly earning the band ceremonial success. Of course, with such a seductive and heavy album, it's no surprise that the music videos mirrored, from the playfully suggestive ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’ video to the dramaticised portrayal of heartbreak seen in ‘Snap Out of it’. The main flaw with this album would simply be that it set a standard for what was expected of upcoming works, alongside its popularity and praise, undermining the other Monkeys' albums.

Now, before we move on to the next album, it’s notable that between these two stylistically different albums, we highlight Turner's work in 2016 on ‘Everything You’ve Come To Expect’ for his side co-existing band ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’. This album is a much lighter one and a perkier take in comparison to the Monkeys' work. However, it’s so important that we consider this, as it still presents evolution for Alex Turner towards his later works.

‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’

Following ‘AM’, we were left without any new music from the band until 2018, when we were presented with the immersive concept album of ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’. This album immediately defied all expectations we had following the previous album with its evolved glam rock-esque stylistic choices. Musically, it's slower and more innovative with its synthier, yet still performatively dark tracks like ‘Science Fiction’ where we can see the detailed storytelling perspective of the album piece together through Turner's lyricism, like we haven't seen on any other album before, with the embedded melancholy and loneliness in songs like ‘The Ultracheese’. Emphasising the band's development in experimentation in comparison to their earlier years. During this era, we’re almost spoiled with the music video aspect, which easily reinforces the dreamy futuristic concept of a hotel on the moon that’s deeply rooted in the album. Of course, with this concept album being more of an artistic decision, there are numerous areas of criticism from fans, yet this choice doesn't make this album any lesser in comparison to the others.

‘The Car’

Following the pandemic, ‘The Car’ was released in 2022. However, we see this album fuelled by piano rather than the guitar-driven albums we’re used to as a listener. In comparison to the dark and complex albums we’ve had previously, ‘The Car’ is a lighter and more airy album, which is entirely more playful in terms of sound, with bubbly tracks like ‘Jet Skis On The Moat’ to the still underlying heaviness seen previously in tracks like ‘Sculptures Of Anything Goes’. Overall, this album is content in its range of experimentation as it can perceive a myriad of emotions from weary nostalgia, tired melancholia, to energetic buoyancy. The car in itself can almost be seen as a coming-of-age album, an experimentation symbolic of how the band is evolving and maturing.   

In conclusion, over the years, it’s evident that Arctic Monkeys have evolved greatly both in sound and their visual aesthetic. However, whether it's an indie rock album to break the scene or a softer and more evocative release, the band never fails to put out a beautifully written album, both lyrically and in terms of sound.