Monkeys debut 'strange' single

By Greg Cochrane
Newsbeat music reporter

Arctic Monkeys have labelled their new single Crying Lightning as "strange as far as a pop song goes".

The track, the first release from upcoming third LP Humbug, was recorded in Joshua Tree National Park with Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme.

The track is available now to download, with the album released on 24 August.

Speaking to Radio 1's Zane Lowe, Alex Turner said: "This was deemed the best signifier of the record. It was a favourite during recording."

Turner revealed the song was one of the first written during sessions with Josh Homme in the Mojave Desert, which concluded with James Ford in New York City earlier this year.

On the recording of Humbug, Turner said: "We've enjoyed making it more than the other two put together. It does really feel like we're getting somewhere."

Following a number of festivals in Europe and America, the Sheffield foursome will headline this year's Reading and Leeds festivals at the end of August.

Turner said: "I think I'm a bit more ready for that sort of thing than we had been in the past. Glastonbury [headlining in 2007] taught us that, I think we grew up in some way."

Listen to Crying Lightning on Zane Lowe's blog