Suck It And See: The Most Important Chapter In Arctic Monkeys History

Arctic Monkeys were in a tricky spot in 2011. Their groundbreaking debut album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" was followed by their equally successful sophomore effort "Favourite Worst Nightmare." In an era where music sales were at an all-time low, Arctic Monkeys excelled as the first of "MySpace Era" artists to find fandom online in the mid-2000s.

However, their 2009 album Humbug "led to predictably brawny, unwound results," according to Pitchfork. Arctic Monkeys needed to reignite the flames after facing divisive reactions to this album, and "Suck It And See" did just that.

Alex Turner began writing most of the songs for "Suck It And See" in New York, drawing inspiration from artists as diverse as David Bowie, George Jones, and Johnny Cash.

The band admitted that they planned out and rehearsed most of their songs before hitting the studio, rather than the improvisation-based approach they picked for "Humbug".

The album cover though was rather a plain selection, with a white background and the album title printed in the centre. However, the album faced a bit of a controversy in the United States, pointing out the sexual implications in the title.

The band later explained "In Britain, the phrase "suck it and see" generally means you've got to try something out first before giving a judgement on it."

"Suck It And See" received an extremely positive response from fans and critics worldwide. Rolling Stone called it their best work after the debut, and the critics were quick to point out the observational tone of the album; drawing attention from the listeners while enjoying the band's return to Indie Pop.

This album saw Arctic Monkeys embrace themselves as rock stars. Not only did the band show they had more to offer, but you can feel that the boys from Sheffield appreciate the California sunset with a new perspective.

They had found their voice, both lyrically and musically, and it felt approachable for everyone. "Suck It and See" began a dominant run that saw Arctic Monkey become one of the most successful bands of the 2010s.

Buy Suck It And See Vinyl Record

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