''R U Mine?'' isn''''t going to be on there: While the band have said that the new album is going to be in the same vein as single ''R U Mine?'', they''''re also adamant that it won''''t feature on the album. Both ''R U Mine?'' and ''Electricity'' are just stand-alone singles, but drummer Matt Helders said: "The songs like that are the most recent things we''''ve done, so if that''s any sign of what kind of songs we''''re writing, maybe we''''ll go that way."

The Monkeys might go metal: After being called heavy metal by Metallica themselves - well, Lars Ulrich, at least - it''s no surprise that the Arctic Monkeys want to explore a heavier sound on the new album. When speaking to Artrocker, frontman Alex Turner said: "We''re going to go the direction of those heavier tunes. He went on to reference ''Suck It And See'', adding: "We feel the strength of the last record is Don''t Sit Down... the other songs like that."

There will be faster songs: While not necessarily upbeat, the new album is going to be faster than the last with speed being the name of the game. Bassist Nick O''Malley spoke to Spinner saying: "We''re enjoying playing sort of fast songs at the minute." He added, "Maybe that''''ll be an indication that it may go that way." Not definite, but something worth thinking about.

They''re going back to their roots: Alex Turner also told Artrocker that while recording in New York worked for the last album, the Monkeys are eager to return to their Sheffield hometown. Turner said: "It would be nice to record in Sheffield, which we haven''t done for a while. I was living in New York, and that''s where I wrote a lot of those [Suck It And See] songs, and the fact that me and the other chaps were on either side of a large body of water - I wrote a lot on acoustic guitar in the flat."

It could be more traditional - in terms of writing methods, at least: Turner said that ''Suck It And See'' songs were mostly created after he''d write something on the acoustic guitar in New York, then applying it to what the others thought was needed. This time, he wants to avoid that and get back to the old fashioned way of figuring it all out together. The band are looking forward to "hashing it out in a rehearsal space." Sounds good to us.

It will be nothing like their first: The band think it would be a bad idea to try to recreate their first album, wanting instead to do something different. Speaking to the Calgary Herald, Matt Helders said: "For us, it seems obvious to do something different when you make a new record. I know that bands can successfully carry on by having a similar sound forever, can have a full career out of it. Obviously many do and that works. It''s just that I don''t think we''d ever want to do that. We couldn''t make a record like our first record again, it would sound a bit fake."

For the first time, the band has been writing material while on the road: Some songs have been played around with during the North American tour with the Black Keys and during sound checks. Alex Turner told Rolling Stone magazine before the tour began: "I don''t try to write on the road. I might try to this time, just for a change." Matt Helders also referenced this halfway through the tour in an interview with Paste magazine, saying: "We haven''t really started writing officially, a record or anything, but there''s a few things we''re playing around with in sound checks."

Barney the Dinosaur is going to be a major influence: Okay, so we''''re kidding with this last one but the band did say that the reason they picked purple for their Record Store Day vinyl release was because, according to Helders, "We%u2019re big fans of Barney." So who knows, maybe a cover of one of the dinosaur''''s songs could be in the pipeline...

The Arctic Monkeys have begun recording their fifth album, and it has been confirmed by none other than drummer Matt Helders' mum! "I don't know if it helps to clear things up but lads are in the desert!" She tweeted, revealing that the band were in the studio in America.