IN REVIEW: The Strokes - "The New Abnormal"

After a seven year gap between albums punctuated only by a slight, forgettable three song offering in 2016, it was kind of anyone's guess what The Strokes would sound like in 2020. More to the point, who even cared? The popular consensus among fans has been that, even though occasional thrills are there on each of their records, The Strokes haven't really come close to the greatness of their first two records since, well, their first two records. I certainly won't argue; from First Impressions of Earth on, The Strokes' albums have been more notable for what they do wrong than what they do right. For me, this came to a head with Comedown Machine in 2013, an album that dressed up as a comeback but bore the stench of lethargy that no amount of glossy production or synth stings could cover up.

So, after being dormant for so long, At the Door was chosen as the harbinger for The Strokes' sixth album; a slight offering full of synth and warped vocal effects (and, notably, no drums), The New Abnormal's lead single is undoubtedly the worst song on the album. When listening to The New Abnormal front to back, its placement is also terrible, ushering in the second half and completely taking the air out of the album. It also might give curious listeners the impression that the record is more sullen than it is, though this is admittedly an album more focused on a milder, more '80s-leaning feel than much of their other albums.

The eighties is all over The New Abnormal, and those listeners who turn their nose up at synth and glossy, punchy drums will probably not find too much that satisfies here. Those of us who have heard second single Bad Decisions have already thanked and/or cursed The Strokes for getting Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself stuck in our heads again, and there are little callbacks and references peppered throughout the track list that will evoke a reaction from older fans like me for better or worse, and evoke shrugs from those newer to the band.

As for the rest of the songs, The Adults Are Talking starts the album off with perhaps the song that best checks the boxes were fans to compile a list of traits that would make a Strokes song in 2020 great: there's a pinch of classic Strokes in the snaky guitar work, a little LCD Soundsystem '80s nostalgia, a pretty chorus and a Julian Casablancas performance that sounds equal parts phoned in and transcendent. It's followed by Selfless, a Beach Boys recalling slow burn that morphs into an elegant mid-tempo love song. Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus, meanwhile, imagines a world where Is This It dropped in 1981 rather than 2001, its verses dripping with synth before blossoming into a true blue classic Strokes chorus while referencing the '80s more explicitly than anything else on record. The A-side ends with Endless Summer, which will catch the attention of anyone who's into the latest Tame Impala record before veering a bit into The Wall-era Pink Floyd because why not?

The only songs not touched on are the closing trilogy of songs, which surprise in different ways; Why Are Sundays So Depressing applies a Rolling Stones filter on The Strokes' sound to thrilling effect, while Not the Same Anymore offers a subtle nod to The Beatles' darker material. Then, the album ends with Ode to the Mets, which starts on a pulsing synth that reminded me of Mess-era Liars but fades into a morose instrumental that slowly builds throughout the song before giving the album a soaring sendoff; it's a little overblown, but surely they've earned a little indulgence.

It may ultimately be more notable for the bands, songs and times it reminds you of, and lyrically it's not exactly a masterpiece, but I have to say The New Abnormal caught me off guard in terms of its overall quality; The Strokes sound engaged again for the most part, which can only be a positive thing. Does this album do anything for the band's legacy? No, not really; but it doesn't sully it, and that's something we couldn't say about a Strokes record for some time.

April 10, 2020 • RCA
Highlights The Adults Are Talking • Selfless • Why Are Sundays So Depressing