Music style

The band’s music is known to fall under the umbrella of indie rock although they have changed their genre of rock on each album, which is one of the band’s key features. Musically the band have expanded and altered their sound with each of their five albums making it difficult to pin a description to their style. Perhaps the key part of their sound and one that translates across their whole discography is lead singer and frontman Alex Turner’s intricate and often rapidly-delivered lyrics, sung in a distinctive strong Sheffield accent that their music became famed for in their early years. Their early albums Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare were rooted in garage rock and post-punk revival, with Turner’s sharp lyrics the focal point. On the first album Alex Turner examined human behaviour in nightclubs and in the culture of the band’s hometown, Sheffield. Turner describes «Dancing Shoes» as being about «people always looking to pullwhen they go out however much they mask it.»

These themes continued on the following album Favourite Worst Nightmare with the band still progressing as musicians. Songs such as «Fluorescent Adolescent» and «Do Me a Favour» explored failed relationships, nostalgia and growing old, while musically the band took up a more uptempo and aggressive sound. Humbug was a wild change in sound as the influence of new producer Josh Homme saw a mostly desert rock and psychedelic rock sound, and Turner’s lyrics became more abstract and explored more cryptic themes than the straightforward, witty lines of their first two albums.

Their fourth album Suck It and See sees the band exploring styles, mixing them with newfound maturity. Turner said: «I think the new album is a balance between our first three. There’s nothing about taxi ranks or anything like that, but there’s a bit of the standpoint I had on those early songs and the sense of humour, but also there’s a bit of the ‘Humbug’ stuff which is kind of off in the corners.» Critics noted an influence from vintage British rock bands from the 1960s, as well as The Smiths, and slower, love-themed ballads featured more heavily on the album than the fast-paced, rockier songs that typifies the band’s sound.

In a 2012 interview with NME magazine, frontman Alex Turner cited John Lennon as a major influence lyrically. Speaking about Lennon, Turner said; «I remember when I first started writing songs, and writing lyrics, I really wanted to be able to write an «I Am The Walrus» type song, and I found it very difficult. You listen to that and it sounds like it’s all nonsense, but it’s difficult to write that sort of thing and make it compelling. Lennon definitely had a knack for that».

According to the band, the fifth album AM is more hip-hop influenced. As Alex Turner stated in an interview with NME, it’s «like a Dr Dre beat, but we’ve given it an Ike Turner bowl-cut and sent it galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster». He also cited Outkast, Aaliyah and Black Sabbath as influences for the album. It has steadier beats but an overall calm feeling, while also having heavier songs like «R U Mine?», and softer songs like «Mad Sounds» or «No.1 Party Anthem».