Alex Turner has revealed the sci-fi origins of the artwork behind Arctic Monkeys‘ new album, ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino‘.
Designed by Turner himself, the bold and striking sleeve follows a similar outer-space narrative to the album and draws upon the same Stanley Kubrick influences.
“The album artwork started from a picture that I saw of someone in the art department of 2001: A Space Odyssey, building the set for the Hilton on the moon,” Turner told Radio X. “At this point, we’d already decided to call the album ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’, so we began to think of things that may be in the lobby of this place.”
He continued: “The thing that I became most obsessed with that there was a model of the place inside the lobby. That’s where I focused most of my attention and time, not figuring out what the place itself looked like, but what the model of the place in the lobby would. I made the model.”
“It’s made of illustration board with a bit of dowel for supports. I sat it on top of a tape machine. The tape on the machine sitting underneath has the album on it, or an earlier version of it. Which seemed to make it all make sense to me.”
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He added: “I was driving back from the art supply shop and I saw a rotating sign – of which there are many in Los Angeles – and this one was outside a place called House Of Pies, which I’ve actually never been inside. I ought to really – I think we can all agree on that. I thought this place should have a rotating sign like House Of Pies.”
Meanwhile, this week saw Arctic Monkeys announce details of a surprise London show at the Royal Albert Hall for charity.
The band will be playing on June 7 with all proceeds going to War Child.