The First Strokes Album in 7 years
(originally published on April 4, 2020)
I was shocked to hear The Strokes were releasing a new album.
I could have sworn the days of new music from Julian Casablancas and the band were over. They've practically become experts in social distancing from each other over the last decade. But, The Strokes pleasantly surprised all their fans with the announcement of their impending release at the band’s New Year’s Eve show in Brooklyn.
“The 2010s, whatever the fuck they’re called, we took ‘em off,” Casablancas announced. “And now we’ve been unfrozen and we’re back.”
The New Abnormal, the Strokes’ sixth album and first in seven years, dropped on April 10.
All 9 tracks on the album are very moody, true to form, and more or less feel like a trip down memory lane that fades in and out of the background.
The title couldn't be more ironic. I’m sure they had no intention of releasing their comeback album during a global pandemic, but it's just too fitting.
Some of the tracks really hit home as we're stuck in quarantine, seperated from our friends and family. In "Selfess," a track about body-shaming, Casablancas sings, "Please don't be long, 'cause I want your arms. I don't have fun without your love."
Also in "Eternal Summer," which alludes to the climate crisis, I can't help but notice that it describes exactly how I feel about the world being on pause. It goes, "I can't believe it.
Life is such a funny journey. Psychedelic."
The relevance of the track "Why Are Sunday's So Depressing?" needs no explanation.
Despite commentary on some political issues of today and the unexpected parallels to the Coronavirus, the album is nostalgic. The tracks nod to the golden era of New York City nightlife and British dance-punk. Even the cover is a painting from 1984 by Jean Michel Basquiat called “Bird’s on Money.”
The third track, “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus,” asks the question, “And the ’80’s song, yeah how did it go?… And the ’80s bands, where did they go?”
Well, Strokes, it’s 2020. It’s been over 30 years since the 80s bands were in their prime. I guess you were busy being “frozen.”
While the tracks didn't excite me like some of their most popular hits do the second they come on, such as “Last Nite” (2001) or "Reptilia" (2003), I do have a lot of respect for this release.
Their experimentation with sound is impressive. The album was produced by the one and only Rick Rubin, co-founder of Def Jam Records and former co-president of Columbia Records. The Strokes experiment with a variety of different sonic elements, including 1980s synth-pop on “Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus” and auto-tune and electronic effects on “At the Door”.
The Strokes will always be remembered for the remarkable run they had in the early 2000s, but the fact that they’re still coming out with solid records is pretty epic.
While other bands that peaked when they did will be rolling out “Best Of” albums, it seems that The Strokes will keep on keeping on.
Songs to listen to: The Adults Are Talking, Bad Decisions, Eternal Summer
