It’s June 2011. The hype around the "next big thing" in British indie has cooled into a steady, reliable simmer. Arctic Monkeys, once the scruffy kids from Sheffield who broke the internet before we even called it that, walk into Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. They aren't wearing tracksuits anymore. Alex Turner has a pompadour. They’re hanging out with Josh Homme. People are confused. Then they drop Suck It and See, an album that sounds less like a concrete jungle and more like a vintage postcard left out in the California sun.
Honestly, it’s the black sheep.
When you talk about this band, you usually hear about the debut’s frenetic energy or the heavy, late-night prowl of AM. But Suck It and See is where the songwriting actually grew up. It’s the bridge. Without this record, there is no "Do I Wanna Know?" It’s the moment Alex Turner stopped writing about girls in taxi queues and started writing about "the type of kisses where teeth collide."
The Sound of a Band Escaping Their Own Shadow
Most people think Humbug was the big departure. While that record brought the desert sludge and the darkness, Suck It and See brought the light back in, but it was a different kind of light. It’s hazy. It’s jangle-pop. It feels like 1960s British invasion melodies got trapped in a blender with 1970s American stoner rock.
James Ford produced it, and you can tell. He stripped away the layers of over-dubbed guitar madness that defined their previous work and let the room breathe. They recorded it mostly live. You can hear the space. You can hear the floorboards. It’s a very "human" sounding album, which is ironic considering how polished they’d become by the time they hit the world-conquering heights of 2013.
The title alone caused a massive stir in the US. Target and other big-box retailers actually censored the cover, slapping a big white sticker over the name because "Suck It and See" sounded too suggestive to American ears. In reality, it’s just a common British idiom. It means "give it a try." It’s what your nan says when she offers you a new brand of biscuit. The band found the controversy hilarious. It’s a classic example of two cultures divided by a common language.
Why the Lyricism Changed Everything
If you look at the lyrics on Suck It and See, Turner is basically undergoing a transformation. He’s moving away from the observational realism of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. He’s not telling stories about "Scummy" anymore. He’s becoming a poet of the abstract.
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Take a song like "Black Treacle."
"Somebody told the stars you're not coming out tonight, and so they found a place to hide."
That’s a far cry from "You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham." It’s whimsical. It’s weird. It’s arguably some of his most romantic work, even if it’s buried under metaphors about "the depth of a bubble."
The title track itself is a masterpiece of melodic songwriting. It’s simple. G-major, C-major, nothing fancy. But the bridge? The way it builds? It’s pure pop perfection. It showed that the band wasn't afraid to be pretty. For a group that built their brand on being "hard" and "authentic" Northern lads, being "pretty" was the ballsiest move they could make.
The Heavy Stuff Still Hits
It’s not all sunshine and jangly guitars, though. "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" is a heavy, psychedelic stomp that feels like a leftover from the Humbug sessions. It’s a weird song. It’s basically a list of dangerous things you shouldn't do, like "go to a slumber party in a costume of ice" or "run with scissors."
Then you’ve got "Library Pictures."
It’s fast.
It’s loud.
It’s under three minutes.
It’s a reminder that they could still rip your head off if they wanted to. Matt Helders’ drumming on that track is particularly insane. He’s not just keeping time; he’s trying to break the kit. It provides a necessary jolt of adrenaline in the middle of an album that otherwise feels quite laid back.
The Cultural Pivot Point
Looking back from 2026, Suck It and See feels like the exact moment the band decided they were going to be a "career" band rather than a "moment" band. They weren't chasing the charts here. They were chasing a vibe. They moved to LA. They started wearing leather jackets. They started listening to a lot of Nick Lowe and Gene Clark.
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You can see the influence of the "Piledriver Waltz" (which Turner originally wrote for the Submarine soundtrack) on the rest of the record. It has that 3/4 time signature feel, that slightly melancholic, cinematic quality that would eventually define Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.
The album didn't have the immediate commercial impact of their earlier work. It debuted at number one in the UK (as all their albums do), but it didn't spawn a "mosh pit" anthem that took over the radio. However, it did something more important: it gave them longevity. It proved they could write mid-tempo songs that didn't rely on teenage angst.
The "Suck It and See" Gear and Aesthetic
For the guitar nerds, this album is a goldmine. Jamie Cook and Alex Turner moved away from the high-gain distortion of the early days. They embraced the "clean-but-dirty" sound.
- Guitars: Lots of Gibson ES-335s and Gretsch hollow bodies.
- Amps: Selmer Zodiacs and Vox AC30s.
- Pedals: Less fuzz, more tremolo and "wobble."
This aesthetic shift wasn't just about the music. It was about the image. The cover was a plain cream color with just the title. No art. No photos. It was a statement of confidence. "The music is enough," it seemed to say. It was a bold move in an era where album art was becoming increasingly digital and flashy.
Why It Often Gets Overlooked
It’s the "middle child" syndrome.
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- Humbug is the cult favorite.
- AM is the global smash.
- Suck It and See is just... there in the middle.
But if you ask long-time fans, many will tell you it’s their favorite. It’s the most "summer" record they have. It’s perfect for driving with the windows down. It doesn't demand your attention with screams or heavy riffs; it just settles in.
There’s a vulnerability in songs like "Love is a Laserquest" that we hadn't seen before. Turner is literally wondering if he’ll still be thinking about an ex when he’s "pipe and slippers" old. It’s an honest, slightly terrifying look at aging that felt very real for a fanbase that was growing up alongside the band.
Actionable Ways to Re-Experience the Album
If you haven't listened to Suck It and See in a while, or if you’ve only ever stuck to the "hits," you're missing the nuances. It requires a different kind of listening.
- Listen to it on vinyl if you can. The analog warmth of the Sound City recording really shines through on a physical format. The "air" in the room is much more audible than on a compressed Spotify stream.
- Watch the music videos. The video for "Suck It and See" starring Matt Helders as a sort of outlaw biker is a hilarious look at the band's burgeoning obsession with Americana.
- Contrast it with the Submarine EP. Listen to the acoustic versions of some of these tracks to see how strong the skeletons of the songs actually are.
- Pay attention to the bass lines. Nick O'Malley is the secret weapon of this record. His lines on "Reckless Serenade" are melodic and carry the song in a way that’s reminiscent of Paul McCartney’s work with The Beatles.
The record isn't perfect. Some critics at the time felt it was a bit "safe." Some tracks, like "Brick by Brick," are polarizing (to put it mildly). But as a cohesive piece of work, it represents a band at a crossroads, choosing the path of artistic growth over easy wins.
It remains a masterclass in how to evolve without losing your soul. It’s a British band falling in love with American mythos, filtered through a lens of Sheffield wit. It’s the sound of four guys realizing they don't have to be the "fastest" band in the world anymore. They just have to be the best.
Suck It and See isn't just an album title; it’s an invitation to look past the surface. If you do, you'll find the most soulful, melodic, and enduring music the Arctic Monkeys have ever made.
Next Steps for Deep Listening:
Start by queuing up "That's Where You're Wrong." It’s the final track on the album and arguably the best "closer" in their entire discography. It perfectly encapsulates the shimmering, bittersweet tone of the whole record. From there, go back to "Love is a Laserquest" and really listen to the lyrics. It’s the blueprint for the crooner persona Alex Turner would eventually inhabit full-time.