Four years later and the monkeys are back!

Freda Looker

May 3, 2018

After a long awaited 4-year hiatus Alex asks yesterday’s Observatory North Park crowd, “Have we been missed?” and we all know the answer to this, well of course. With no prior single released for last night’s performance, it was all up in the air for where Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino’s sound would lead. It was then made aware that the performance was not allowing for any recordings to take place, but it didn’t stop fans that wanted to spread some love by sharing the group’s 4 new tracks. Before the Monkeys went on stage, Cameron Avery greeted the audience with a lovely performance from his 2017’s Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams. Cameron Avery was then sweetly side-by-side with his wife Alyssa Miller Avery during Dance With Me. As Cam finished his set, the audience was scoping the new layout for the Monkey’s new era spotting a piano, synths, and new guitars for both Jamie and Alex. During the electric set 4 new tracks from Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino were debuted: Four Out of Five (with Cameron Avery), One Point Perspective, American Sports, and then the encore including She Looks Like Fun (with Cameron Avery). Four Out of Five is one track that stood out apart from the four debuts because I could easily imagine it being apart of The Last Shadow Puppet’s Everything You’ve Come To Expect. What was unexpected was the debut of You’re So Dark from their 2013’s One For The Road B-sides. Overall, their new sound is very Leonard Cohen-esque, with throwback feelings from their 2011 Suck It and See album, but with a new introduction to keys and synths. The boys are again playing another sold-out show at San Diego’s Observatory North Park Crowd tonight and of course, the crowd is hopeful for more Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino debuts. A full video of the three debuts can be found below!