Albert Hammond Jr, the guitarist of indie icons The Strokes, has been discussing the name check given to them by Alex Turner on the new Arctic Monkeys album.

Turner, opening up Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino with the first track ‘Star Treatment’, sings the words “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes. Now look at the mess you made me make.” It was these lyrics that whipped fans of Arctic Monkeys up into a frenzy, the first information that was leaked out prior to the release.

Hammond Jr, asked is the reference was flattering by the NME, answered in typically nonchalant fashion: “It’s more fun for the people who do it! I don’t live my life in that, it’s something you laugh at more.

“Sure it’s nice, but I didn’t think of it – I thought of it as a way of describing the simplicity of being young.

“It’s a thing you want for the simplicity of it, and then you realise it’s a lot more complicated. It’s what a picture looks like – and a perfect way to reference his youth. It’s a cool thing and he’s a great lyricist.”