Arctic Monkeys released their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not in 2006.
The album was released in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2006, by Domino Recording Company, followed by a United States release on February 21. It captured the band’s sharp, fast-moving songs about British nightlife, youth culture, relationships, pubs, clubs, and the social world of their hometown of Sheffield.
Before the album appeared, Arctic Monkeys had circulated demo recordings at gigs and online. That grassroots sharing helped the band attract a large audience before traditional music promotion caught up. The album included re-recorded versions of the singles “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” and “When the Sun Goes Down.”
The record became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time, moving more than 360,000 copies in its first week. Some listeners confuse its release with the 2005 debut EP Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys, but that earlier EP was not the band’s debut studio album. The album’s correct year is therefore 2006.