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

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Sam Roberts Band

SAM ROBERTS BAND I Feel You From: Collider Released: May 10 Having already endured the breakout success ( Brother Down was Canada's it rock song of 2002), the tentative dabbling in the U.S. market, as is the rite of passage for all moderately successful Canuck artists (2003's debut We Were Born in a Flame was the best time to try; one of the best albums of the year, it made a small dent in the American mindset upon its release there a year later), the difficult, druggy third album (the aptly named 2005 disc Chemical City ), and the subdued creative step backward (2008's Love at the End of the World , aside from hit single Them Kids , was really kinda bland), it seems according to script that Sam Roberts would start settling in on his fourth album (and first with the band credited as equal contributors), Collider (you know, I think it was a bad idea to give me brackets). Well, as far as settling in goes, Roberts does and doesn't on Collider . W...

IN REVIEW: Rancid - "Trouble Maker"

As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

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