Ahead of their headline slot at Glastonbury next weekend, Arctic Monkeys have premiered a new single ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ from their forthcoming and as-yet untitled fifth album.
Having previously teamed up with Queens Of The Stone Age frontman and producer Josh Homme on 2009’s Humbug and 2011’s Suck It And See, it has been speculated that their latest album has been recorded in Homme’s desert studio. If Homme is once again the producer on the record, then his influence can definitely be felt on ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ Opening with a thumping military drum beat, a signature QOTSA guitar wail then enters the frame, playing out a catchy three-phrased hook that continues throughout the track. As usual, lead singer Alex Turner lends his Sheffield drawl to the vocals until some falsetto backing comes in on the slow, punctuated cymbal smashes of the chorus. The sluggish weight of the song is a clear Homme influence and a welcome return to the likes of the chugging ‘Don’t Sit Down Cause I Moved Your Chair’ and ‘R U Mine’, showcasing the Monkeys’ darker side and leaving the balladry of "505" behind for now.
The track is accompanied irritatingly by a rather lacklustre minimalistic video of soundwave animations pulsating to the weighty guitars and drums – have a watch above.
