Arctic Monkeys are dropping brand new music this week, and it’s arriving with an important purpose.
War Child Records has confirmed the band will release a track set to land on Thursday, January 22, at 3PM GMT. The charity and independent music label also teased that the release will arrive alongside more information about an upcoming project designed to support children living through war.
War Child is a UK-based charity that works to protect, educate, and support the mental health of children affected by conflict. Through War Child Records, the organisation has a long history of collaborating with artists to raise money and awareness through music.
The news follows a wave of online speculation that’s been building for weeks after War Child Records posted that “a group of artists” were working on something important for the organisation, adding that there would be more information coming soon. From that point, fans were quick to start connecting the dots – especially as the teaser gained traction online and began circulating within Arctic Monkeys’ wider orbit.
There’s also been plenty of attention on War Child Records’ Instagram activity, with fans noticing the account follows a select group of artists – adding to theories that this could be part of something bigger than a standalone single. Alongside Arctic Monkeys, the charity follows names like Ellie Rowsell, Pulp, Fontaines D.C., Damon Albarn, and beabadoobee.
While details on the wider project are still being kept under wraps, War Child Records have already made it clear why these releases matter. In the same post, the organisation highlighted that when the legendary HELP album was released in 1995, 10% of the world’s children were affected by conflict – a figure which has now almost doubled to 19%, affecting 520 million children. War Child Records also added that “1 in 5” children worldwide are currently at risk of losing their childhoods to conflict.
For Arctic Monkeys, the release is also their first new material since 2022’s The Car, making Thursday’s drop one of the band’s most anticipated moments in years.
