The New Yorkers return with a desire to experiment.
If you are going to talk about the ten most influential guitar bands of the 21st Century so far, then The Strokes really have to be a part of the conversation. Their Modern Age EP hit like an extinction level event asteroid on the indie-dross that was forming the scene back in 2001. Along with The White Stripes, they hailed a new exciting era of raw, immediate guitar playing that looked back to the 60s and 70s garage scene but felt totally fresh. Debut album ‘Is This It’ was a monumental release, it turns 25 this year!
Reality Awaits is their seventh album, never a particualrly prolific group, also limited by the amount of time given over to side projects. The main thing that leaps out at you on a first listen is what is all that autotune about? Julian Casablancas spends most of the album buried under a thick layer of it as he mostly croons along to the songs. Don’t come into this one expecting a ‘Last Nite’ or ‘Reptilia.’ Musically it picks up where The New Abnormal left off in 2020. A slower, more thoughtful style to match the greater confessional introspection of the lyrics. Lyrically here, Casablancas questions their relevance as they get older, suggests that rich people have too much power and muses on a range of areas.
Whilst ‘Going Shopping’ does fit into the overall feel of the album it does seem an odd choice for the first single. The vocals are heavily auto-tuned on this one and there is an odd, jovial tone to the track that doesn’t immediately sit in with what you would expect from a Strokes single. There are other moments of oddity. What accent is Casablancas trying to affect in ‘Liar’s Remorse?’
Despite it all though, not even the autotune can fully scupper what is ultimately a very decent entry in their catalogue. The band clearly decided to experiment and go in some different directions here. For every decision that is a headscratcher there is another one that works well. In many respects they are as popular now as they have ever been. Where as many of they early noughties peers are either long gone, or diminished in influence, The Strokes are still selling out arenas worldwide. They have found a whole new younger audience through TikTok.
If this is the reality that awaits, then it is a slightly strange one. The Strokes are still The Strokes though, a crucial band in the history of recent music to be enjoyed for as long as we have them around for.
Essential Tracks: ‘Dine N’ Dash,’ ‘Lonely In The Future’ and ‘The Fruits of Conquest.’
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