Arctic Monkeys: AM [DOMINO]

AM is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys. Produced by longtime collaborator James Ford and co-produced by Ross Orton, it was recorded at Sage & Sound Recording in Los Angeles and Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California. Released on September 9, 2013, through Domino Recording Company, the album was promoted with singles such as "R U Mine?", "Do I Wanna Know?", "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?", "One for the Road", "Arabella", and "Snap Out of It." It also features guest appearances by Josh Homme, Bill Ryder-Jones, and Pete Thomas.

The album explores a diverse range of genres including psychedelic rock, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, desert rock, R&B, funk, and soul. Notably, it represents Arctic Monkeys' first foray into a hip hop-influenced sound. The band adopted a new approach to recording compared to their previous album, *Suck It and See* (2011), with a focus on creating a cohesive "studio album," as described by frontman Alex Turner. They introduced new instruments like the piano, organ, Hohner Guitaret, and vintage drum machine. Lyrically, *AM* delves into themes of frustration related to flawed romance, sex, and loneliness.

Commercially, *AM* has become one of Arctic Monkeys' most successful releases. It topped the UK Albums Chart, selling over 157,000 copies in its first week, and became one of the UK's best-selling vinyl albums of the decade with 73,000 units sold. In the United States, it was the band's most successful album to date, with the single "Do I Wanna Know?" being their first to enter the Billboard Hot 100. The album reached the top of four Billboard charts and was certified seven-times platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2023.

Critically acclaimed, *AM* was praised for its darker, groovier sound compared to the band's earlier work. It appeared on numerous year-end lists as one of the best albums of 2013, with the BBC naming it their album of the year. At the 2014 Brit Awards, Arctic Monkeys won British Album of the Year for *AM*. It was also nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize and received a Best Rock Performance nomination for "Do I Wanna Know?" at the 57th Grammy Awards in 2015. NME named it the best album of the decade and, a month after its release, ranked it 449 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Rolling Stone placed it at 346 in the 2020 edition of its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.