Sheffield indie giants Arctic Monkeys are continuing to tease fans by posting two clips from their new album as part of an online video.
Led by Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys are one of the most influential groups of the past decade. Intense online hype propelled the band into the mainstream, with their first record ‘Whatever You Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ becoming the fast selling debut album by a British band ever.
Combining gritty observation of the everyday with the heart of a true Romantic, Alex Turner became an immediate darling of the critics. Of course, he was followed by many lesser talents, and is arguably responsible for the gloop produced by gritty Northern acts today.
None of which should dull the impact of the band’s music, however. Arctic Monkeys moved to California last year to work with Josh Homme, who seems to have added a rockier edge to the band’s sound.
Not much has been heard of the new material thus far, with audiences in Australia and New Zealand being treated to premieres during performances there earlier this year.
The new album should be released later this summer, with the record unaffected by singer Alex Turner having his lyrics stolen during the writing process. In a recent interview the frontman reveals this actually spurred him on.
Drummer Matt Helders has been keeping video diaries, which have allowed fans to peer behind the wall of mystery that surrounds the band. In previous instalments the group have revealed their friendship with P Diddy, who claimed that himself and Helders were having a bro-mance.
In the new video Helders speaks to the camera from recording sessions for the album. Two new songs can be heard in the background at various points, with the band’s trademark wirey guitar sound evident.
Elsewhere in the video Matt Helders reveals that he has tickets to see Girls Aloud live – Arctic Monkeys once covered the girl group’s hit ‘Love Machine’ for Radio 1’s Live Lounge.
The drummer also reveals that the band’s new friend P Diddy could be set to travel to the UK to watch them headline the Reading and Leeds festivals in August. It will be the second summer in a row that Alex Turner has played the festivals, with his side project Last Shadow Puppets performing last year.
Arctic Monkeys are set to release their third album later this year.
