Arctic Monkeys made Humbug as a record about being far away from home. That distance shapes everything here: the songs sound bigger, stranger, and more theatrical than anything the band had put out before. It is a record about being alone, and it plays like a group trying to fill the silence with noise.
My Propeller Opens the Record
My Propeller starts the record with a question about distance, and sets the tone. Crying Lightning follows and pushes harder, its chorus landing with force. Dangerous Animals is the first weak link, a song that coasts instead of building on what comes before it.
Secret Door and Potion Approaching form the album’s heart. Secret Door is built around a simple, repeated riff that never stops moving. Potion Approaching takes a slower turn, turning the record inward after the opening burst of energy.
Fire and the Thud Through Pretty Visitors
Fire and the Thud is the record’s biggest swing, a track that reaches for something truly strange and mostly lands there. Cornerstone is smaller and tighter, a breath of air before the record’s final stretch. Dance Little Liar and Pretty Visitors close the middle portion of the record, two songs that don’t quite match the ambition of what surrounds them.
The Jeweller’s Hands Closes the Record
The Jeweller’s Hands closes the record at over five minutes, the longest track here, and it earns that length through slow-building tension rather than filler. It ends the album on a note of dread rather than resolution.
What Works and What Doesn’t
- My Propeller and Crying Lightning set the pace early and hold it
- Secret Door and Potion Approaching give the record its center
- Fire and the Thud is the boldest move, and it mostly pays off
- Dance Little Liar and Pretty Visitors drift without adding much
- The Jeweller’s Hands closes things on a strong, uneasy note
How the Tracks Run
| # | Track |
|---|---|
| 1 | My Propeller |
| 2 | Crying Lightning |
| 3 | Dangerous Animals |
| 4 | Secret Door |
| 5 | Potion Approaching |
| 6 | Fire and the Thud |
| 7 | Cornerstone |
| 8 | Dance Little Liar |
| 9 | Pretty Visitors |
| 10 | The Jeweller’s Hands |
Humbug is a record that knows exactly what it wants to be, even when some of its parts don’t quite get there. The highs are high, the lows are brief, and the record as a whole holds together better than its weakest moments suggest. It is a step forward for a band that already had nowhere to go but sideways.
Humbug earns a score of 7 of 10.
- My Propeller3:28
- Crying Lightning3:43
- Dangerous Animals3:31
- Secret Door3:43
- Potion Approaching3:32
- Fire and the Thud3:58
- Cornerstone3:18
- Dance Little Liar4:43
- Pretty Visitors3:41
- The Jeweller’s Hands5:42
