The Car is the seventh studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 21 October 2022 by Domino Recording Company.

Drummer Matt Helders took the picture on the album cover, which depicts a white Toyota Camry in an otherwise empty parking garage on a Los Angeles rooftop.

The band's sixth studio album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino was released in May 2018 to critical acclaim, but its stylistic deviation was polarizing for listeners.

[1][2] Right after the South American leg of the tour for that album ended, Turner began thinking of new music with the idea of writing, "a song that could close the show".

Initial recordings happened in late 2019 at La Frette, with James Ford again as a producer, but were quickly discarded, with only an early version of track "Hello You" surviving those sessions.

[3][4][5] In 2020, Turner went back to Lunar Surface, his home studio in Los Angeles, at first, hell-bent on writing riffs and "making it louder", but the music "didn't want to go there".

[16][19] The album has been compared to the works of David Bowie,[16][18][22][24][26][27] Burt Bacharach,[17][18][24][7][26][28] Scott Walker,[18][20][7][29] Roxy Music,[16][28] John Barry,[17][27] Portishead,[28] Jarvis Cocker,[20] Jean-Claude Vannier,[20][28] Isaac Hayes,[18][19][20] Curtis Mayfield,[18][25] Steely Dan[10][28] and Marvin Gaye,[17] as well as James Bond soundtracks.

[10][21][7] Although, Turner found it difficult to name direct musical influences, he mentioned the work of David Axelrod, Gloria Ann Taylor's "How Can You Say It" and Nat King Cole's "Where Did Everyone Go?"

[33] It has also been noted, as depicting, "a decadent world of marble staircases, moated buildings, the popping of champagne corks and aeroplane descents over the French Riviera,"[14] as well as, "the tensions between art and commerce, between performance and authenticity.

"[16] Turner cited, In the Blink of an Eye (2005) by Walter Murch, as an inspiration, and thought it felt connected to "the process and also the feel or lyrics on [The Car].

"[34] Other things Turner was reading at the time include, Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe series,[4] and the works of David Foster Wallace and George Saunders.

[38][39] Helders was testing an old 90mm lens he had just acquired, and decided to shoot the view from his old apartment window, inspired by the work of photographer William Eggleston.

[9] To promote the record, the band commissioned a billboard featuring the album cover art, that hung over the Central Library building, on their native Sheffield.

The video featured a live rendition of the track, performed at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre on 22 September, and was directed by Ben Chappell & Zackery Michael.

[59] Other tracks debuted during their first leg of tour include "Mr Schwartz", "Big Ideas" and "The Car", alongside singles, "There'd Better Be A Mirrorball" and "Body Paint".

The film was directed by Chappell and Zackery Michael, and features selected footage of the band, both backstage and performing, at their show on Brooklyn's Kings Theatre.

[81] Thomas Smith of NME thought the album best summarized the story of the band, "sharp songwriting, relentless innovation and unbreakable teamwork", adding that it would be a rewarding listen for old fans, as well as, a remarkable starting point for new ones.

[10] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of Financial Times thought the band "doubled down on the stylistic swerve that they made on Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" but was more positive to this record, saying "unlike its predecessor, the results do not exhaust or disappoint.

"[14] Mark Beaumont of The Independent also compared the lyricism of both albums, describing it, as "roaring off in every direction, as wonderfully imaginistic as it is largely impenetrable", unlike, "the sci-fi framework" of the previous record.

[17] John Mulvey of Mojo thought the record was the "next logical step on from the cinematic sound world" built on Tranquility Base.

[18] Alex Cabré of DIY praised the band "keenness to explore new styles" but doubted the album would reach the commercial success of their previous work.

"[26] Ewan Gleadow of Cult Following highlighted the influence of Elton John and Jimi Hendrix as well as David Bowie on the Arctic Monkeys, calling the album "a deeply moved and heavy-set filter for the late 1960s and early 1970s of rock and pop music.

"[85] Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork described The Car as "an album of love, longing, and doubt", and noted the music matched the uncertainty of the lyrics.

[19] On the mood of the album, Sam Richards of Uncut, felt it was "pretty bleak" and allowed "the lyrics to take hold" but thought the second half was not as varied as the first.

[86] Dan Cairns of The Sunday Times noted "a sameyness of texture, pacing and delivery" on the album and saw a lack of evolution, but praised the "beautiful" melodies of tracks "There'd Better be a Mirrorball" and "Big Ideas".