Four years on from their last album Arctic Monkeys have returned with the release of their latest single, ‘Opening Night’ as part of a collaborative project for War Child Records. The song appears pared back in comparison to the assault of guitars common in their music, but is still unmistakably Arctic Monkeys. The track moves with a moody, atmospheric pulse; reserved yet richly layered, with subtle percussion and reflective guitar parts that gradually build to a stormy crescendo.
The restraint of the single strays from the typical swagger and defiance of Arctic Monkeys records but makes for a more authentic, perhaps even vulnerable track in the absence of instruments and personas to hide behind. As the opening number of a charity album, this more reflective perspective sets the tone for a collaborative project designed to draw attention to the atrocities being committed against children across the world.
War Child work in a variety of conflict areas across the globe including Gaza, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo to name just a few. Their aim is to raise awareness and provide humanitarian aid to those children who are suffering daily as a result of violence and war. This album, HELP(2), marks a huge effort to fundraise for their cause and educate the public about the reality of many children’s lives. As War Child UK’s Head of Music Rich Clarke has outlined, ‘HELP(2) is more than an album. It’s a powerful example of what can happen when the music industry comes together around a shared purpose. It has united a diverse group of artists and creatives in support of War Child’s vital work with children affected by the devastating impacts of war.’
HELP(2) is more than an album. It’s a powerful example of what can happen when the music industry comes together around a shared purpose.
As the first track on the album, ‘Opening Night’, has sparked much excitement among fans in anticipation of what else can be expected from the album as a whole. With a variety of artists from Fontaines D.C., Cameron Winter, and Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell to Blur’s Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode, and Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, the record has indie music fans thrilled all over the world and had brought much needed attention to War Child’s invaluable cause. In some ways the collaboration across the music industry on this project seems to emulate the collaboration and unity needed across the globe to make a real impact on children’s suffering; the very thing War Child centres at the heart of its efforts.
