The Arctic Monkeys have just released their new album, The Car, and they are pleasantly surprised.

The Arctic Monkeys have been a long-time favorite of the alternative music scene for nearly two decades. Their distinct, edgy sound has defined multiple generations of music fans. With the release of their newest album, The Car, on October 21st, amidst the release of the release frenzy that was October 21st, fans worldwide are delighted that they can still jam out to new Arctic Monkeys songs. While we hope the band never stops making music, we must admit that we are surprised they are still together. What’s even more amusing is that the Arctic Monkeys are surprised by the same thing.

Alex Turner, a member of the band, told NME in an exclusive interview:

“The records we’re making now are definitely different now to the ones we probably thought we would be making when we started out – actually, we didn’t think we’d be even making records anymore…20 years ago, I didn’t envision ourselves going beyond…Well, the fact we gave ourselves the name ‘Arctic Monkeys’ alludes to the extent of ambitions we had…Clearly hardly any.”

This period has brought about growth. Something that has kept the band so popular with their fans over the years is their ability to embrace new sounds and knowledge while maintaining their original energy. Turner continued, saying:

“When I think back to earlier times, I feel like we were just running on instinct, creative decisions included…I mean, like, first and foremost, we didn’t really know how to play our instruments at the start. But beyond that, I don’t really think that much within the band has changed a great deal; we might know a few more tricks, but we’re still rolling on that very same instinct.”

We hope the band has many more years to surprise the world with their music.