On average, the wait time for a new album from a musical artist is one-and-a-half years. However, the Arctic Monkeys were dormant for over triple that time until very recently.

The UK rockers have remained consistent in their album releases over the years, ever since their debut full-length album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” in 2006. However, the wait time between “AM” and “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” is nearly five years, which is absolutely unheard of for the band.

At first it seemed that the band had broken up for good, especially with lead singer Alex Turner spending more time with The Last Shadow Puppets, a band he often collaborates with as a part of an ongoing side project. However, in late January, the band’s social media suddenly rose from the dead, announcing tour and festival dates. Three months later, the long-awaited album name and details were finally released.

The band’s Twitter account, which has become increasingly active, released a teaser video for the new album. It centered on an art-deco styled model of a building, supposedly a likeness of the album’s namesake, Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. The music in the short video did not contain any of Turner’s signature vocals or lyrical wit. It was a strange, vintage-sounding instrumental with a distinct mid-century feel to it. It somewhat resembled the kind of music you’d expect to play in the parlor of a retro home in a slasher film set in the ‘50s. Then the tone shifts as a guitar riff kicks in. The style sounds nothing like “AM,” but it could signify an exciting new experiment in sound for the band.

Turner is no stranger to retro imagery. Throughout the promotion for their 2013 album, he was never photographed without perfectly coiffed hair, a leather jacket, rolled jeans and a smoldering cigarette. However, their music style never strayed from a modern rock sound, aside from their slight foray into bluesy garage rock on “AM.” With the strong ‘50s imagery and preview of a fuzzier, vintage sounding guitar, it’s not far-fetched to speculate that this upcoming album may have retro influences.

Speaking of speculation, fans have been driving themselves insane trying to decipher the recently released tracklist. Song titles include “The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip,” “Batphone” and most perplexingly, “The Ultracheese.” Although, compared to previously released songs like “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala” and “Love is a Laserquest,” these strange titles fit right in. While half the fanbase has been trying to fathom what these tracks could possibly sound like, the other half have been hard at work making memes.

Arctic monkeys coming up with their new tracklist pic.twitter.com/8ROfRqi4Cg

— idiota (@eastbloc_) April 5, 2018

The Arctic Monkeys were one of the first major bands to capitalize off the resurgence of vinyl back in 2013, when “AM” sold over 27,000 copies, making it one of the bestselling vinyl records of the decade. Knowing this, it makes sense that they would promote their upcoming album with a limited edition silver variant of “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino,” which is available for pre-order on their website.

The new album will be released May 11, but it can be pre-saved on Spotify and pre-ordered on Apple Music or any digital music retailer.

by IZZIE BARTHOLOMEW