The Strokes: "The New Abnormal" (Album Review)

The New Abnormal is the sixth album and eight project of indie rock band The Strokes. Despite, or maybe due to, the band’s 20 year long history, The New Abnormal stands as some of their best work yet.

Instead of retreading the same steps as their earlier work that paved the way to their stardom, The Strokes continue to progress in their style. This natural progression helps The New Abnormal to stand independently and not just as “the new Strokes album”. This also helps in pleasing fans of the classic Strokes sound, and others who wanted something different. Progression in itself is a theme in this album, which is seen through the thoroughly nostalgic lyrics. On Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus, Casablancas ties the future to the past through longing for “new friends, but they don't want [him]”. This sense of being an outsider is a common theme throughout The Strokes’ discography but is especially provoking when hearing the following lines, as Casablancas sings, “They're making plans while I watch TV. Thought it was you, but maybe it's me”. This self-aware nature of this line shows the personal growth that contrasts with another line from the title track of The Strokes’ debut album: “Dear, can’t you see? It’s them, it’s not me”. The place of blame and fault is ever-shifting in their work, but Casablancas chooses to accept his flaws even though it depicts him negatively. This is an unexpected spin on the classic young adult angst often depicted in their lyrics. 

The New Abnormal is kicked off with the subtly intense track titled The Adults are Talking. This is a standout cut featuring some truly amazing vocals from Julian Casablancas and a mesmerizing baseline from Nikolai Fraiture. Having this as the first song on the album really feels like a bold statement from the band, solidifying their presence after a seven year break from their last full length project. It’s pleasing for old fans but also serves as a nice place for newer fans to start from. 

The follow-up song, Selfless, also sees another great vocal performance from Casablancas and has some great instrumentation, but still feels lackluster compared to the other tracks on the album. It still remains a good song despite not having a quality that makes it truly unique, which is what I wish I could say about Eternal Summer. 

Eternal Summer is the psychedelic 5th song on the album, that provides nothing too substantial for its six minute runtime. Although it seems like harsh criticism, I do not think this track is necessarily bad, but is simply too repetitive and does not add anything in the scope of the album as a whole. It’s still pleasing seeing The Strokes step out of their comfort zone and experiment more. 

Not The Same Anymore is possibly the most emotive Strokes’ song to date, seemingly focused on Casablancas’ personal issues and how it caused friction within the band. This concept is explored through the use of past lyrics and is another example of growth shown in this album. 

Another standout track is At The Door, which is also emotionally charged. The production is fairly bare, primarily using strong synths for the duration of the song. Though some may see this as a low point I think it excellently put Casablancas’ singing to the forefront. It perfectly showcases the type of experimentation The Strokes utilize throughout this album which makes this project feel fresh and powerful. 

    At times The Stokes’ lack of fear in pushing boundaries has resulted in missteps, but on The New Abnormal, the outcome was definitely successful. Julian Casablancas performs at the top of his game with some career highs lyrically and sonically. The instrumentation is powerful and clean, resulting in a sound that really sticks with the listener and can be appreciated further through repeated listens. This album makes me excited to hear what they have next in store.

Favorite Tracks: The Adults Are Talking, Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus, At The Door, Why Are Sundays So Depressing, Not The Same Anymore

Least Favorites: At the Door, Eternal Summer

9/10