The Strokes - The New Abnormal Review
The Strokes pull it off, refining their classic sound and taking influence from their contemporaries.
It’s been six whole years since The Strokes released an album into the world and a lot has changed so it is quite fitting that their new record is titled “The New Abnormal”. For purists this album may be seen as return to form — especially considering the lacklustre reception of their last three records.
‘The Adults Are Talking’ is a classic strokes track, harking back to the days of Is This It but with a modern Clairo-fan accessibility of their sound. This is a very catchy track, somehow sounding fresh yet familiar. Julian’s soaring falsettos on the chorus are infectious; and that’s not to mention the almost Beach House-like guitar’s role in all this. ‘Selfless’ feels like it could fit on First Impressions, a nice song all in all but nowhere near as captivating as the intro to this album — but The Strokes have always had a certain touch with classic album openers. The solo on this track brings you back to that level of quality you would expect from a Strokes track. The guitar on this track is also very Beach House-esque at times. It’s interesting to think how much The Strokes’ contemporaries have influenced them; it feels like just yesterday I watched an interview where Julian Casablancas gave music suggestions of Dirty Projectors and Beach House — two artists who would later grow to be far more successful and with the latter band even influence their songwriting and sonic landscape.
‘Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus’ was the third single to this album; a track I initially avoided for its occasionally simplistic over-compressed synth parts. However, this track has grown on me and fits perfectly in the context of the record. On ‘Eternal Summer’ you definitely get the vibe that Julian and company have been listening to some Pink Floyd — maybe a little too much Pink Floyd. Julian’s voice getting to almost parodic levels does not bog the chorus down; this actually creates quite a nice juxtaposition from the chill summer vibes of the verses. The phased vocals at the end of this track are really nice touch. ‘At The Door’ was the lead single of this record and on first listen I wasn’t exactly blown away but as my familiarity with the track grew I found this to be a Strokes song with an incredible amount of depth that rewards repeated listens. This track is an emotional rollercoaster at times with Julian crooning ‘Struck me like a chord’.
‘Not the Same Anymore’ is one of the first songs that really stuck with me on this album. Its beautiful guitar melodies and Julian’s voice is as sultry as ever. Lyrically, Casablancas touches on the apparent differences and changes in The Strokes since their last record. When Julian exclaims ‘sorry this is overdue’ you can’t help but feel he’s referring to the album itself. I love how this track closes out with what sounds like a Yamaha PS30, the same keyboard used by Beach House. The final track on the record ‘Ode to The Mets’ is such a brilliant and effortless closer to The Strokes best record in years. I love it when mid-song Julian mumbles ‘Drums, please, Fab?’ only for Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti to kick in; something about this seems so graceful but maybe that’s always been the charm with The Strokes: the simplicity in their music. I also love the way the word ‘back’ echoes further and further back later in the track. It’s touches like these that have held The Strokes a cut above the rest for so long.
For a band that hasn’t released a record since 2013 there was always going to be a lot riding on this album but somehow The Strokes pull it off, refining their classic sound and taking influence from their contemporaries (who will have taken influence from them). The very nature of this album makes me feel like The Strokes have come full-circle. The New Abnormal is an incredible return to form and a masterclass in melodic indie song writing. There’s rarely a moment on the record where you don’t find yourself reliving The Strokes’ glory days of the 2000s. This record is nostalgic yet modern, somehow combining the modern indie landscape they helped create with their classic sound.
