54 EW.COM MAY 11, 2018Music
The new album sounds
very diferent from the
Arctic Monkeys’ last one
(2013’sAM). What was
the writing process like?
Igotapianoformy30th
birthday. To pinpoint the
origin of this project, I will
conclude that it was the
arrival of the piano in my
home studio. Being sat
at a piano helped me to
invent a diferent angle
to take on writing, not
only music but the lyrics—
if that makes any sense!“Star Treatment” refer-
ences the Strokes in its
opening lyrics (“I just
wanted to be one of the
Strokes/Now look at
the mess you made me
make”). What was going
through your mind
when you wrote that?
It was something that
I expected to change later
on. I sat down at the piano
and began to write, but
the plan was that it would
just get me of the mark,
get me to the next place,
and then I’d get into thereal juice. But it occurred
to me when I did loop
back around that a line
like that was kind of right
where it needed to be.
I think it has to do with
that passage of time and
that sense of, Where has
that time gone? I think I’m
having a word with myself,
really, and saying, “Look
at what you’ve got us into.”And what have you got
yourself into?
I dunno. That’s what I’m
wondering!What exactly does the
title-track phrase mean?
Tranquility Base, in reality,
is the site of the first lunar
landing. But whether we’re
actually talking about a
sort of hotel-casino com-
plex on the moon or not is
debatable. I like the idea
that the record be named
after a place. It isn’t some-
thing that I’ve done before,
but I do consider many
of my favorite records
almost being like places
that you can visit.Did you see theNME
recently ranked the song
titles on this album in
order of “most bats---”?
I’ve yet to discover that.“The Ultracheese” was
one. I would have gone
for “The World’s First Ever
Monster Truck Front Flip.”
That was verbatim a news
story I was unable to
resist clicking on about
a year ago, and I was
unable to resist naming
a song after it. It was laid
out for me. We’re just
living in a world where
they’re flipping monster
trucks forward.If someone gives you
a xylophone for your next
birthday, should we
expect it on the next Arc-
tic Monkeys record?
Well, it’s the saxophone
we’ve probably got
to worry about, isn’t it?I can see you with a sax.
I don’t know. We might
have to draw the line
somewhere.Arctic Monkeys Thaw Out
Frontman Alex Turner explains how a birthday gift led the British rock
group to return with the keyboard-heavyTranquility Base Hotel & Casino,
their first album in almost five years.BY CLARK COLLISIT’S GOT FUNK“There was a photo of me at my birthday
party looking at a jacket that said ‘Live From
the Funk,’ ” says Bridges of “If It Feels Good
(Then It Must Be),” which channels early
Kool & the Gang vibes. “And that’s how that
song starts. It inspired it.”
IT’S GOT JAZZAlbum closer “Georgia to Texas” has a sax
solo, dark chords, and a rumbling bass rif.
“It started of with that electric bass,” says
Bridges. “Putting an upright on it, I was like,
‘Are you sure about that?’ But it ended up
sounding great.”
IT’S GOT TRANTERJustin Tranter, that is. The hit songwriter
(Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Imagine Drag-
ons) co-wrote “Mrs.,” “ Forgive You,” and the
single “Beyond.” “I had never been open to
that kind of thing,” says Bridges about writ-
ing with others. “But it’s definitely one of my
favorite collaborations of the session.”3 GOOD
THINGS ABOUT
GOOD THING
Leon Bridges’ 2015 debut,Coming
Home, was a thick slice of retro
‘60s cool. For his follow-up (out May 4),
he decided to spread his wings.
BY ALEX SUSKIND Nick O’Malley, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, and Alex TurnerBRIDGES: JACK MCKAIN; ARCTIC MONKEYS: ZACHERY MICHAEL