The Strokes Are Getting Us Through "The New Abnormal"
Words by Gianna Cicchetti
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
While we all have been enduring through these very strange times, The Strokes finally put out their sixth album a couple Fridays ago. The album is called The New Abnormal, coincidentally enough, and having it in my headphones has made self-isolation a little more enjoyable.
The iconic rock band has not released a full-length album since Comedown Machine in 2013, and their last release was a short EP, so fans (including myself) had no idea what to expect leading up to the release of the record. Listening to The New Abnormal in full has made me think about how much the band has matured throughout the years since their start in the early 2000’s. If you press play on this record, expecting the same sounds of 2001’s Is This It, you have it all wrong. With several songs exceeding the five minute mark, new electronic elements, and some different vocals from Julian Casablancas, listening to this record is a completely new experience.
Track one on The New Abnormal just happens to be my favorite off of the entire record. “The Adults are Talking” had me excited to listen to the rest of the album as it features softer, almost relaxing vocals from Casablancas and a guitar part that still won’t get out of my head. It feels different, yet it is definitely a The Strokes song. Every member of the band absolutely nails it on this song and it has already become one of my favorite songs of theirs. Following this is “Selfless,” a calmer love song about not wanting to live without someone. It is one of those songs that might be easily overlooked by many, but Casablancas’ passionate performance in it should not be forgotten about.
“Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” is also one of the most exciting parts of the album. Right off the bat, the heavily 1980’s-inspired synths hit and the song becomes super danceable. The guitars are also so much fun as they, along with the vocals, call back to older Strokes material. The lyrics on this song stand out to me more than on a majority of the other tracks. They are so self-aware and even painfully relatable at times, as Casablancas sings, “I want new friends, but they don’t want me.” Out of the three singles the band put out before the April 10th release, “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” is definitely my favorite.
Fourth on the record is “Bad Decisions,” a single that has such a nostalgic feel to it. It feels like a song that the band could have written decades ago, but its anthemic feel makes it so easy to love. Right after is “Eternal Summer,” the midpoint of the album. This six minute-long song fluctuates between Casablancas delivering falsetto vocals and him basically yelling, which initially took me by surprise. The looming synth noises that drive the track and Nikolai Fraiture’s groovy bass parts make this song feel like an adventure of its own. It feels like bliss, just like the fleeting bliss that is discussed in the lyrics. It was definitely not a song that I expected, but it was a pleasant surprise that has grown on me after a few listens.
“At the Door” was the first taste that fans got of The New Abnormal. On this song, synths guide the way for Casablancas to spill out his emotions about never being able to fix his relationship. Besides the synths, the rest of the band is basically silent on the song, which makes Casablancas’ performance on it even more powerful. “Why Are Sundays So Depressing” starts the final third of the album. It is one of the more laidback tracks on the record with a pretty subtle instrumental that only has synth moments in the chorus. This song shows Casablancas reflecting on the past before the success of the band, as he talks about missing “that nine to five” and when all his friends were around.
The penultimate track, “Not the Same Anymore,” is even slower than the previous track, but it carries a similar theme of self-reflection. The track has a grungy feel in its instrumental, primarily because of Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi’s guitar performances throughout. Casablancas is at his most vulnerable here, as he describes how his past mistakes have affected his relationships and how his inability to change was the main cause of the damage. This song hits hard, without a doubt. The ninth and final track on The Strokes’ comeback record is “Ode to the Mets,” a song that looks back on the band’s history and on New York City, where it all began. This epic, slightly haunting track is carried by drummer Fabrizio Moretti, once his part is introduced by Casablancas saying, “Drums please, Fab.” The song was one of my most anticipated, since the band premiered it in New York City a few months prior, when we first heard from the band that we would definitely be getting a new album this year. It serves as a great conclusion to the record, as Casablancas tells us in the final two minutes, “Gone now are the old times.”
The New Abnormal was definitely worth the wait as the band delivered an album that was new enough, but also still feels like themselves nineteen years after their debut. I definitely recommend this album as a great listen during this time of self-isolation and if for some reason you haven’t yet, go give all of their past releases a listen!