Alex Turner has discussed his growing comfort with labelling himself as a songwriter.
Arctic Monkeys‘ sixth album ‘Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino‘ was released today (May 11). In a four-star review, NME said the record “will reward deep-diving listeners – in particular, those with an interest in picking apart Turner’s densest and most self-aware lyrics to date.”
In a track-by-track dissection of the record for Pitchfork, the frontman was asked if he felt more comfortable in the role of a songwriter now. “Certainly more so than when I was 18,” he replied. “There was something wrapped up in that word that used to make me uncomfortable, but I’m marginally more comfortable with it now.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHMBJ2do1XU
In the piece, he also discussed the origins of the track ‘The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip’, which was named after that actually happening. “It was a news story that came out one day that I clicked on,” he said. “It’s remarkable. I mean, it’s definitely the most surprising thing I saw that day. It flipped forward!”
Meanwhile, in an interview with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, Turner explained how he “tricked” himself out of writer’s block to make ‘Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino’. “There was a time [when] I’d probably sit on my bed in my mum’s house, strumming an acoustic guitar,” he said. “Like that first record [‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’], I can’t remember how long it took but it seems like it could have just come out in a week. I didn’t have to find ways to make myself finish an idea [back then].
“And now it seems like I do, and the job is to find a way of tricking myself into having an idea, I suppose, and following it through,” he added.
Arctic Monkeys return to tour the UK and Ireland later this year. For tickets and more information, visit here.