Digipak Analysis – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s Exactly What I’m Not by Arctic Monkeys

The front of the digipak does not contain the album title like most other digipaks which is strange and unusual which is a characteristic on indie music. There is only a close up of a man smoking which could be used for identity as consumer and certainly I would associate that picture if I saw it with the  are considered arctic monkeys. The man could be representative of the Arctic Monkeys as it just looks like an average man possibly working class because of the stereotypical smoking, t-shirt and trim cut. The casual look is also a characteristic of indie music. This also appeals to their target market as they are likely to be average working class people and this mirrors them. It also shows that they too are just average guys and that fame hasn’t gone to their heads. The average guy doesn’t look like a typical boyband member which tells us that they aren’t a typical boy band that they have a darker undertone.

There is lots to do with smoking throughout the album as on the front and back is a man smoking as well as the cd itself being made up of cigarette butts. Smoking can be seen as cool or rebellion among teens so maybe they are trying to show that they are different. However the man on the back looks depressed and smoking is also associated with depression which maybe shows a dark side to the music and maybe it’s not side we normally seen. But being sad can be a characteristic of indie. The cd being cigarette butts is not nice to look at as cigarette butts are considered dirty and horrible which maybe shows that they don’t care or they are maybe untidy and scruffy which is a characteristic of indie. This links to the title of the album as they might be being labelled as deviant or dirty because of the cigarettes and they are not they are just average guys. Cigarettes are also addictive so maybe this links to their music being addictive and it’s that good you will listen to it again and again and again. However this was one of their first albums so to make an impactful album that would boost their fan base and sell they could have used the nasty cigarette theme to stand out.

The black and white theme can be typical of the indie genre as it could represent sadness or depression which is typical of indie. It again shows they are not like typical boy bands who write about girls, they are writing about the darker side to love such as heart break. This links back to the average guy on the cover as it shows there down to earth style.

The title of the album is a line from the book Saturday nights and Sunday mornings which tells us about the bands lifestyle and shows they are relatable to their target market as the people who listen to this music are likely to want to go out on Saturday nights, have some drinks, a laugh maybe even see a band and then be hung over Sunday morning filled with regret. This might entice their target market to buy their album as they might feel it’s for them.