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It\u2019s been 17 years since Alex Turner told the world \u201cdon\u2019t believe the hype<\/a>\u201d on his band\u2019s breakout single. Cocky as it was, dismissing the traps of the indie rock boom of the early 2000s, it\u2019s actually harder to heed his warning now. Arctic Monkeys have become one of the most acclaimed acts in rock simply for letting hype build on itself. They do minimal press and understated album rollouts, as if they\u2019ve waited for the rest of the world to catch up with whatever vibe they\u2019re on at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now on their seventh album, the Monkeys sound like they\u2019re waiting for the next phase of their career to start. They\u2019re getting there in a softer, more grand way with The Car<\/em>, the band\u2019s most luscious collection of music to date. \u201cLuscious\u201d isn\u2019t a word you\u2019d normally associate with the Monkeys, but it\u2019s another clever progression by the band after the woozy lounge trip of Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino<\/em><\/a>. But while their last record had a rougher, trippier edge to it, producer James Ford (Gorillaz, Florence + The Machine) backs all 10 tracks here with gorgeous string sections that mix with more of Turner\u2019s recent love for piano playing and the tight rhythm of bassist Nick O\u2019Malley and drummer Matt Helders. Ford was behind the boards for AM<\/em>, the 2013 genre overhaul that gave the band a second creative wind, but The Car <\/em>continues the band\u2019s sonic merging with Ford and Turner\u2019s smoother side project The Last Shadow Puppets.\u00a0<\/p>\n