The New Abnormal

The Strokes have released their first full length LP in seven years. The album has a very fitting name, The New Abnormal , as these seem like very abnormal times. The album was also produced by Rick Rubin who has worked with some of the world's largest artists and bands such as Metallica, Kanye West, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Coming off of mixed reviews from their last album, Comedown Machine (2013), many fans see this new album as the right step forward but not necessarily a return to form. This new album sees them take a more melodic approach with their music. The infectious hooks leave every song stuck in your head and keeps you coming back. Their earlier works such as Is This It? (2001) and Room On Fire (2003) are starkly different in comparison. They feature harsher more aggressive vocals and instrumentation due to their heavy early punk influences.





Critical Appeal

The New Abnormal ranged anywhere from stellar reviews such as receiving an 8/10 from The Needle Drop to mediocre reviews such as a 5.7/10 from Pitchfork. The general consensus among critics was that the album was good but not amazing with its 76% metacritic score. The fan consensus, however, seems to be that this is one of their best albums yet. The meta user score is a 9.2. Some may even say that this is indeed "it".

Julian Casablancas

The lead singer, Julian Casablancas utilizes auto tune in many of the new songs. This new album shows just how much he has aged as an artist since their last album. He has released two albums with The Voidz, was featured on a highly auto tuned song by Daft Punk titled Instant Crush, and has undergone a private divorce from his wife of 15 years just last year. Overall it's clear that Casablancas is no longer the same person he was neither artistically nor personally.





Cover Art