'We are so back' - Fans celebrate announcement of new Arctic Monkeys track in aid of charity War Child
Fans are thrilled after one of Sheffield’s most iconic bands announced the release date for their first new single in four years.
The internationally-renowned Arctic Monkeys made a surprise announcement yesterday (January 20) when it was revealed that they would be dropping a new track this week.
Releasing on Thursday, January 22, at 3pm, this latest song will be their first release since ‘The Car’ album in 2022.
The new track is being released to support the charity War Child , which works to ‘ensure a safe future for every child affected by war’.
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Fans quickly turned to social media to celebrate this news.
Responding to War Child’s Instagram announcement, one fan commented: “We’re so back.”
“Thank you, now the world can heal,” another wrote.
The excited mood was shared across cites, with one person writing on X (formerly Twitter): “New Arctic Monkeys song on Thursday... I'm crying [right now].”
Few details have been released about the new song, with members of the r/arcticmonkeys subreddit speculating about what they hope to see when the track drops.
One person said: “I don’t think it’s gonna be like The Car. Matt has mentioned that Alex takes on these personas but then will leave them behind. I think The Car era has finished and we’ll get a new style.”
Others simply celebrated the new, adding: “I legitimately have not been this excited about something in a long time.”
“I used to pray for times like these,” another added.
All five members of the Arctic Monkeys come from High Green, and formed the band while they were all attending Stocksbridge High School.
They started out by rehearsing at Yellow Arch Studios in Neepsend, which has also produced albums by a diverse range of artists including Richard Hawley, Jarvis Cocker, and Kylie Minogue.
The band recorded demos at 2fly studios, gigging around Sheffield all the while.
These demos were then passed out at the gigs they played - a move that would prove instrumental to their success.
The formation of The Arctic Monkeys coincided with the growing popularity of early social media - MySpace in particular.
This made them one of the first ever bands to come to the attention of the public via the internet rather than through traditional promotion, a model which changed the industry forever.
The CDs that the band handed out at gigs were burned by fans, and an online following quickly grew. This first set of demos was titled Beneath the Boardwalk, a name inspired by the now-closed Boardwalk nightclub in Sheffield.
The Arctic Monkeys’ online following meant that by the time they were signed by Domino records in June 2005 - two years after their first gig - they were already immensely popular, especially in their home town.
Following on from the online buzz, the Arctic Monkeys’ first album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, released in 2006, became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history.
Part of the band’s popularity stemmed from their unique and down-to-earth lyrics and style.
While frontman Alex Turner was often compared to Sheffield-born Jarvis Cocker, he wasn’t singing about politics, but the minutiae of ordinary life - getting kicked out of clubs, fancying girls, and going to rubbish parties.