Review: The New Abnormal - The Strokes

Ram Jams: 'The New Abnormal' Is New but Not Abnormal - The Observer

By Tommy Delone


This past New Year’s Eve, as The Strokes held a show in Brooklyn, frontman Julian Casablancas had something to say. “Yeah, we’ve got a new album coming out soon. 2020, here we come. The 2010s, whatever the fuck they’re called, we took ‘em off. And now we’ve been unfrozen and we’re back.” It’s been a long 7 years since their last studio album, Comedown Machine, and fans (mostly just me) were beginning to question if we’d see another album from the “modern rock” pioneers. The Strokes have always fought the status quo and made the music that they’ve wanted to make. Throughout their career and their musical growth, they have always tried to make their music innovative, while also paying tribute to their influences as much as possible. The New Abnormal, is an almost perfect representation of that. 

 Every song on The New Abnormal is a tribute to many of the great alternative bands of the 80s, but doesn’t go as far to not interfere with The Strokes individuality. While their second longest LP, it manages to display enough variety to compensate for a lack of volume. From the first guitar riff of “The Adults Are Talking,” this album gives off some serious mid-80s post-punk and new wave vibes. With fast paced, methodical, guitar-heavy melodies and rebellious songwriting, it’s the most “on-brand” song on the album. By captivating your attention with a strong opening track, Casablancas and company take you on a ride along the massive spectrum of 80s alternative, while still making what you are listening to fresh, new and exciting.   

 Although Julian has always managed to give a tip of the hat to his influences, the boys brought out the big guns for this album. Enlisting legendary producer Rick Rubin to help creatively direct, every song on The New Abnormal has a specific genre influence, showcasing some serious variety in the band’s musical repertoire. On one hand, there are songs like “Why Are Sundays So Depressing?” which almost seems like a song that the late Tom Petty would’ve wished he wrote; on the other, “Eternal Summer” is reminiscent of the early days of neo-soul, not only providing great songs to get lost into, but displaying the incredible range that this band has always been capable of.  

 The number one critique of The Strokes is the fact that all of their albums seem to try and recapture the magic of Is This It - The New Abnormal does anything but that. Not only is their sound becoming more refined, the songwriting is becoming more mature in a stimulating way. It breaks the ceiling that confined The Strokes to being just another good post-punk revival band. The album may only have nine tracks, but it displays more here than most of the other recent alt rock albums that I’ve listened to. 

 This album is filled with so many emotions, from a beautiful tribute to the city they love, to a regretful look on past decisions, to a rebellious middle finger to the “suits” of the business world. The Strokes have managed to simultaneously pay tribute to the great variety of music from the 80s, while also turning that nostalgia into the fuel that will propel them to new musical heights. This album is unconventional, and some fans of The Strokes may be taken aback by the band’s change. However, this album is a must listen, and has been well worth the wait.

BOPS: "The Adults Are Talking," "Selfless," "Eternal Summer," "Ode to the Mets"

DUDS: "At The Door"

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