10 Bands Who Weren’t Afraid To Change Their Sound

10. Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys were the young brash northern indie-rock band who found instant success with I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, released in 2006. Their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history, largely helped by the emerging marketing possibilities of the internet and the strong online following the band had already built up.

Led by singer/guitarist and principal songwriter Alex Turner, they pretty much kept their style consistent through their first four albums, but by album number five (AM - 2013), they had to started to show more of an eclectic mix of influences. Then, in 2018, Arctic Monkeys ripped up their own rule book and Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino arrived, totally sending their sound left field, with a greater emphasis on piano rather than guitar, and the use of strings among other non traditional rock sounds.

The record featured a surprising sound unlike anything they’d released before, with a psychedelic '70s feel and an obvious David Bowie influence. Their new album The Car, is released on 21 October 2022, and based on the single There’d Better Be A Mirrorball, the piano and strings are still very prominent, with Arctic Monkeys now appearing to have largely left behind the distorted guitars and indie-fuzz rock that made them stars.