Arctic Monkeys, “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” | Track Review 🎵

Alternative darlings Arctic Monkeys return with their seventh studio album, The Car, led by radiant, distinct single, “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball.”

“Yesterday’s still leaking through the roof / That’s nothing new…” Um, okay.  Anyways, good news! 🎙 Arctic Monkeys return in 2022 with a brand-new, studio album, 💿 The Car.  Leading the charge of the new LP for 🎙 Alex Turner and company is an intriguing single, 🎵 “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”. “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” commences the 10-track LP as only Arctic Monkeys could. There are some creative ideas, nice musical touches, and undisputed beauty in this single, even if it takes a couple of listens to fully process. 

The near-fourth-and-a-half-minute-long “There’d better Be A Mirrorball” was written by Turner, as to be expected.  It was produced by 🎛 James Ford. The sounds include a jazzy drum groove, warm strings, and warm piano. It’s ear-catching from the onset – left of center and unique, though ultimately, radiant. Eventually, “There’d better Be A Mirrorball” settles into a ballad with a consistent groove, and some rhythmic hits straight out of the jazz/soul book (prior to the minute-mark). Turner’s vocals are as nuanced as ever. He sings the poetic lyrics, which include references to the car, with ample expression, hypnotizing.  Also, with his utterly sublime tone, he mentions that mirrorball:

“So, if you wanna walk me to the car

You oughta know I’ll have a heavy heart

So, can we please be absolutely sure

That there’s a mirrorball.”

Final Thoughts 💭

I thoroughly enjoyed 🎵 “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” – it’s refreshing.  It leads me to believe that Turner and Arctic Monkeys may continue to explore the quirky, jazzy, and lounge touches of their previous LP, 💿 Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino (2018), which I absolutely loved.  All told, “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball” has some creative ideas, nice musical touches, and undisputed beauty.  The harmonic progression is #winning too.  I still leave this opener with questions – maybe even more questions than answers – but, I’m highly intrigued.

🎙 Arctic Monkeys • 💿 The Car • 🏷 Domino • 🗓 10.21.22

[📷: Brent Faulkner, Domino, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]