Arctic Monkeys – R U Mine?

The last time the Arctic Monkeys released a ‘non album single’, it was 2006, and the song in question was Leave Before The Lights Come On. It was brilliant. A track that in many ways summed up what the Arctics were as a band and has since gone down as a dictionary definition of sorts for both its era and the type of fanbase the early days of the band attracted.

After mixed efforts on latest Arctic Monkeys album Suck It And See, new single R U Mine – at the moment bereft of any kind of parent album – feels like a energised return to form. It’s not quite the sound of early Arctics born again, but its getting on for it – big, fuzzy guitar riffs and Alex Turner’s vocals possessed of a youthful vigour they haven’t had in ages. Even the curtailed txt-speak of the single’s title feels like a toeing of that adolescent line the band did so well back in the day.

We’re all for evolution of a band’s sound, but it’s always best when they keep a little of what made us love ‘em in the first place – R U Mine strikes out for the best of both worlds.

R U Mine? is available to download on iTunes now.