Arctic Monkeys have been methodically putting The Car puzzle together since confirming their seventh studio album in August. Today (October 18), a new piece has emerged. Alex Turner and the band officially released the slow-burning single “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am” with a video that was shot during their September show at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.
The riff-heavy tune was surprisingly debuted one day before Arctic Monkeys’ The Car unveiling. They played it during their set at the Zurich Openair festival in Switzerland. In the song, Turner is a bit on edge but never loses his cool (typical rockstar, right?) while contemplating his place in life, physically and otherwise.
“It’s the intermission / Let’s shake a few hands,” he sings softly in the second verse. “Blank expressions invite me to suspect / I ain’t quite where I think I am.” Turner viscerally describes disco strobes, the Riviera, his view of “both islands,” and even gets risque in the bridge: “From my vantage point / The spare set of tingles will race up your spine, if I get it my way.”
“I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am” joins similarly tantalizing singles “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” and “Body Paint” in The Car rollout. The impending album is Arctic Monkeys’ first since 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. They will embark on a supporting 22-date North American tour beginning August 25, 2023.
Watch the Ben Chappell- and Zackery Michael-directed video above.
The Car is out 10/21 via Domino. Pre-order it here.