Arctic Monkeys Release First New Song in Four Years
‘Opening Night’ appears on a forthcoming benefit album for the UK-based children's charity War Child.
Image Phoebe Fox
UK indie rock favourites Arctic Monkeys have released the track ‘Opening Night’, their first taste of new music since the release of their 2022 album The Car.
The track is part of UK-based children's charity War Child’s upcoming compilation album HELP(2), due out 6 March via War Child Records.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, ‘Opening Night’ is an extension of The Car, with a cinematic lounge pop quality to it.
In a recent interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, drummer Matt Helders explained the resaons behind the making of ‘Opening Night’.
“We’re not looking for attention ever when we do stuff! It’s not the thing that we like about it,” he said. “This is a reason we’d do something. There’s always going to be talk about it like, ‘What does it mean for the band?’ We want it to just be for these people and for this.
“If people are talking about it then they’re talking about War Child, and that’s kind of the point in this. I think everyone involved feels like that a little bit.”
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HELP(2) serves as a sequel to War Child’s 1995 charity compilation, HELP, and was executive produced by Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford and features visuals from director Jonathan Glazer.
Other artists to feature on the album include Beabadoobee, Damon Albarn, Olivia Rodrigo, Depeche Mode, Arlo Parks, Wet Leg, Foals and many more.
War Child’s mission “is to support and improve the protection and care of children and young people who live with a combination of insecurity, poverty and exclusion in some of the worst conflict-affected places.”
‘Opening Night’ by Arctic Monkeys is out now. Listen here. War Child’s HELP(2) compilation is out Friday 6 March via War Child Records. Pre-order/pre-save here. Check out the full list of collaborators below and find out more about War Child here.
HELP(2) tracklist
Arctic Monkeys – ‘Opening Night’
Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten, Johnny Marr & Kae Tempest – ‘Flags’
Black Country, New Road – ‘Strangers’
The Last Dinner Party – ‘Let’s Do it again!’
Beth Gibbons – ‘Sunday Morning’
Arooj Aftab & Beck – ‘Lilac Wine’
King Krule – ‘The 343 Loop’
Depeche Mode – ‘Universal Soldier’
Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – ‘Helicopters’
Arlo Parks – ‘Nothing I Could Hide’
English Teacher & Graham Coxon – ‘Parasite’
Beabadoobee – ‘Say Yes’
Big Thief – ‘Relive, Redie’
Fontaines D.C. – ‘Black Boys On Mopeds’
Cameron Winter – ‘Warning’
Young Fathers – ‘Don’t Fight the Young’
Pulp – ‘Begging for Change’
Sampha – ‘Naboo’
Wet Leg – ‘Obvious’
Foals – ‘When The War is Finally Done’
Bat For Lashes – ‘Carried My Girl’
Anna Calvi, Ellie Rowsell, Nilüfer Yanya & Dove Ellis – ‘Sunday Light’
Olivia Rodrigo – ‘The Book of Love’
