The release of their debut EPThe Modern Age in early 2001 sparked abidding war among minor labels, with the band eventually signing toRCA Records. That summer, they released their debut album,Is This It, to widespread critical acclaim and strong sales. It has since appeared on numerous "greatest albums" lists. It was followed byRoom on Fire (2003) andFirst Impressions of Earth (2005), both of which sold well but failed to matchIs This It in immediate critical success, despite positive reviews nonetheless.
Following a five-year hiatus, they releasedAngles (2011) andComedown Machine (2013) to generally positive receptions but dwindling sales. Following the end of their initial contract with RCA, they released theFuture Present Past EP (2016) through Casablancas' labelCult. The band were relatively inactive throughout the rest of the decade, making infrequent live appearances and directing most media attention to individual projects.
In 2020, they released their first studio album in seven years,The New Abnormal, produced byRick Rubin and released through Cult and RCA. The album received highly positive reviews and was considered a return to form by critics. It went on to winBest Rock Album at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[1]
Lead singer-songwriterJulian Casablancas, guitaristNick Valensi, and drummerFabrizio Moretti started playing together as teenagers while all of them were attendingDwight School in Manhattan, and formed an informal band in 1997. They later added bassistNikolai Fraiture to their ranks, a close childhood friend of Casablancas who had attended theLycée Français de New York with him. At the end of 1998, the group invited guitaristAlbert Hammond, Jr. to play with them.[2] He had just moved to New York City and reconnected with Casablancas, whom he knew from their brief stints at the private boarding schoolInstitut Le Rosey, nearNyon, Switzerland. At this point, he was the last member to join the band. The two soon became roommates not long after reconnecting, with Hammond remarking that "two weeks later, we were sharing a flat."[3]
In the following two years, the band practiced and performed tirelessly in New York City. Many of their contemporaries have credited the band's earliest successes to their dedication and hustle, as well as their engaging personalities.[2] They practiced most nights, with many rehearsals taking place inThe Music Building inMidtown Manhattan. They played their first show as the Strokes on September 14, 1999, at The Spiral.[2] They soon frequented Manhattan's rock clubs including HiFi Bar and theLuna Lounge on the Lower East Side of New York, and later Manhattan's popularMercury Lounge. A young booker for the Mercury Lounge,Ryan Gentles, eventually quit his job to become the band's manager.[4]
The band began rehearsing a 14-song set (an early blueprint of the Strokes' 2001 debut,Is This It), including "Alone, Together", "Barely Legal", "Last Nite", "The Modern Age", "New York City Cops", "Soma", "Someday", "Take It or Leave It", and "This Life" (an early version of "Trying Your Luck"). Most of these songs now feature different lyrics. The band connected with producerGordon Raphael in 2000 following a show at Luna Lounge and made a demo,The Modern Age EP, with him. The band sent the demo to the newly reformedRough Trade Records in the UK, sparking interest there, and leading to their first release (via the website of the UK magazine,NME, who gave away a free MP3 download of "Last Nite" a week prior to the physical release as part ofThe Modern Age EP in 2001). The EP sparked a bidding war among record labels, the largest for a rock band in years.[5] In August 2001, the Strokes made their first appearance on the cover of the publicationThe Fader in its ninth issue.[6]
The Strokes released their debut album,Is This It, in Australia in July 2001, and in Japan and the UK in August 2001 before the release of a subsequent US version in October 2001. The Australia, Japan and UK dates coincided with promotional tours in the respective countries. These included theReading and Leeds Festivals at which the band were moved up the billing twice due to rapidly growing interest, shifted from being due to play on a tented stage to a slot on the main stage,[7] that attracted their largest audiences up to this point.
The album was produced by Gordon Raphael, as was their follow-up albumRoom On Fire.[8]RCA Records delayed the North American (US) release over concerns with the album's cover and lyrics. The internationally released cover features a black-and-white photo of a gloved hand on a woman's naked backside, shown in semi-profile (photographer Colin Lane's then-girlfriend)[9] while the North American version replaced it with a photo of particle collisions in theBig European Bubble Chamber. RCA replaced the track "New York City Cops" with "When It Started", as the former featured potentially inflammatory lyrics in the wake of theSeptember 11 attacks. The track "New York City Cops"—featuring the refrain, "New York City Cops, they ain't too smart"—was listed as No. 12 onNew York magazine's "Ultimate New York Playlist" on March 1, 2010. Despite its delayed release (and the potential controversy),Is This It received critical acclaim—among other accolades, four stars fromRolling Stone, and a 9.1 fromPitchfork Media. The album made many critics' top-ten lists, was named the best album of the year byEntertainment Weekly andTime, and (in an article previewing summer concerts)NME urged readers to attend The Strokes' shows—as they were touring some of the "best pop songs ever". While critics noted the influence ofCBGB stalwartsTelevision, Casablancas and bandmates said they had never heard the band, instead citingthe Velvet Underground andthe Doors as reference points.[10]
After the release ofIs This It, the band toured around the world—including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America (the band opened for theRolling Stones on numerous occasions during the North American leg of their tour). The self-made mini-documentary "In Transit" was filmed during the summer tour of Europe. In August 2002, the band headlined the UK'sCarling Weekend festivals for the second time, subsequently playing at New York'sRadio City Music Hall on a bill withthe White Stripes.Jack White joined The Strokes on stage to perform the guitar solo on "New York City Cops". During that period, the band also appeared as musical guests on numerous late-night talk shows.Is This It yielded several singles and music videos, all of which were directed byRoman Coppola.
Is This It has had an enduring impact on fans and critics alike. In 2009,NME namedIs This It as the Greatest Album of the Decade (2000s).[11] The album placed second on a similar list compiled byRolling Stone (the same issue featured a list of the '100 Best Songs of the 00s', featuring "Hard to Explain" and "Last Nite" at Nos. 59 and 16, respectively).[12] In January 2011, Rolling Stone surveyed their Facebook fans to determine the top ten debut albums of all time.Is This It came in at number ten and was also the most recent behindPearl Jam's 1991debut.[13]
The group began recording their follow-up in 2002 with producerNigel Godrich (best known for his work withRadiohead), but later split with him in favor of Gordon Raphael, the producer ofIs This It. Recordings with Godrich were never revealed.[14] In August 2003, the band toured Japan, playing a couple of the upcoming songs: "Reptilia", "Meet Me in the Bathroom", "The Way It Is", "Between Love & Hate" (formerly known as "Ze Newie") and "12:51" (formerly known as "Supernova"). The band also playedPaul Anka's "My Way" with Japanese lyrics. The Strokes released their second albumRoom on Fire in October 2003. It received praise from critics but was less commercially successful, although it still went gold. The album's sound maintained The Strokes' familiar reference points,[15] while also evoking groups such asthe Cars,[16]Bob Marley,[17] andBlondie.[15] In the process, they made the cover ofSpin Magazine for the second time, with each member receiving his own cover. They also made the cover ofRolling Stone for the first time. Additional media coverage of the band came from the relationship between Moretti and actressDrew Barrymore, which ended in January 2007. The first single taken fromRoom on Fire was the song "12:51", which used distinct keyboard-like sounds produced by Valensi's guitar. The video was also directed by Roman Coppola, and was inspired by the futuristic look of the 1980s filmTron. This consisted of a mainly black scene, with instances of glowing picton blue and riptide.
In November 2003, The Strokes played onLate Night with Conan O'Brien, performing "Reptilia", "What Ever Happened", "Under Control" and "I Can't Win".[18] During the 2003–2004 "Room on Fire Tour", the band were supported byKings of Leon andRegina Spektor. While on tour, Spektor and The Strokes recorded the song "Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men", released as a B-side on the "Reptilia" single. Also during the tour, the band includedthe Clash's "Clampdown" as a cover, which was released as the B-side for "The End Has No End".
In late 2004, The Strokes revealed plans to release a live album. TheLive in London LP was planned for release in October 2004, but was abandoned, reportedly due to recording quality problems. The chosen gig was one held at the legendaryAlexandra Palace in North London.
In late September 2005, "Juicebox", the first single from The Strokes' then unreleased third album, was leaked online, forcing the single's release date to be advanced. The single was then released as an exclusive on online download services. "Juicebox" became The Strokes' second UK Top 10 hit, as well as their second US Modern Rock Top 10 success. During November and December 2005 The Strokes did a promotional tour for the still unreleased album, which involved doing one-off shows in major cities around the world. Their third album,First Impressions of Earth, was released on January 3, 2006.[19] It received mixed reviews and debuted at number four in the U.S. and number one in the UK, the latter being a first for the band. In Japan, it went gold within the first week of release. It was also the most downloaded album for two weeks on iTunes. Fraiture claimed that the album was "like a scientific breakthrough". In January 2006, the band then made their second appearance onSaturday Night Live playing "Juicebox" and "You Only Live Once". The album was somewhat a departure from the band's two previous albums. One reason for this was a switch of producers from Gordon Raphael to David Kahne.[20] Despite its initial strong sales,First Impressions of Earth received the worst reception, both commercially and critically, of all their albums.
In 2006, the band played eighteen sold-out shows during their UK tour. In February 2006, The Strokes won "Best International Band" at the NME Awards. In March, the band returned to the U.S. with their longest tour yet. The second single offFirst Impressions of Earth, "Heart in a Cage", was released in March 2006. During the summer of 2006, The Strokes played several festival dates in Europe, including the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden,Roskilde Festival in Denmark, theOxegen Festival in Ireland, theMontreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the FIB (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim),Fuji Rock Festival and headlined thePentaport Rock Festival in South Korea. They then toured Australia and Mexico in late August and early September, followed by the second leg of the United States tour. While in the U.S., The Strokes opened forTom Petty & the Heartbreakers for five shows during their Highway Companion tour.[21] The Strokes went on to complete another US tour. During this final tour, Casablancas stated to fans that the band would be taking an extensive break after it finished. An e-mail was sent out soon afterwards by Strokes managerRyan Gentles, confirming that "much needed break". A new band website went online in May 2007 along with the release of an alternate video to their single "You Only Live Once" directed byWarren Fu. The video also featured a brief interlude with "Ize of the World", also fromFirst Impressions of Earth. The song "You Talk Way Too Much" was used in a commercial for the Ford Sync. Aleksandra Cisneros became The Strokes' assistant manager in late 2007.
The Strokes at Austin City Limits Festival in 2010
The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas and guitarist Nick Valensi started writing material for the album in January 2009, intent on entering the studio that February.[22][23] Julian commented inRolling Stone that they had completed about three songs that sounded like a mixture of1970s rock and "music from the future".[24] On March 31, 2009, the band made an announcement from their MySpace account that announced the end of their "much needed hibernation period" and the commencement of new writing and rehearsing for a fourth full-length album, entitledAngles. This album would be different from the first three due to the fact that the music for the album would also be written by the other four Strokes, rather than Casablancas writing a majority share of the material once again: "It's supercollaborative, and it sounds different," said Valensi, "but it has a Strokes vibe to it."[25] In anNME article,Pharrell Williams expressed interest in producing this upcoming album.[26] This followed the news that Casablancas had collaborated with both Williams andSantigold on "My Drive Thru", a track commemorating the 100th anniversary ofConverse'sChuck Taylor All-Stars shoe. The song was available as a free download from the official Converse website.[27] The album was due to be released in late 2009, but disagreements about just how ready the songs were to be released forced The Strokes to move the actual release date back.[28] On February 1, 2010, The Strokes announced on their website that the recording of the fourth album was being helmed by award-winning producerJoe Chiccarelli. According to Chiccarelli in an interview withHitQuarters, the two parties first met in 2009 and, after finding they shared a similar mind space and similar thoughts on the potential direction of the new record, tried out some tracking.[29] Not long after recording began, however, the band became frustrated with Chiccarelli's reserved production style. Only one song from these recording sessions, "Life Is Simple in the Moonlight", remained on the album's track listing. Inspired, in part, by other contemporary bands likeMGMT,Arctic Monkeys, andCrystal Castles, The Strokes decided to experiment with various production techniques,[30] and recorded the rest of the album's material at Albert Hammond Jr.'s home studio in upstate New York with award-winning engineerGus Oberg.[31]
The lead single from the new album, "Under Cover of Darkness", was released on February 9, 2011.[37] The 7" was officially released on March 1, 2011, and contained another track fromAngles, "You're So Right", as the B-side, followed by the album on March 18, 2011.In mid-March 2011, an interview withShortList magazine revealed that The Strokes had already begun working on their fifth studio album. However, sessions were delayed due to the mixing process ofAngles. Julian Casablancas and Nick Valensi both confirmed that there was material in the works as well as plenty of leftover material.[38] Frontman Julian Casablancas claimed that the band was eager to begin working on new material[39] and were already supposed to, but it took longer than expected to masterAngles."Taken for a Fool" was confirmed as the second single, which was sent to U.S. radio on May 24, 2011. On June 9, The Strokes announced that a music video for "Taken For a Fool" was in the works, and that it would be directed by Laurent Briet. They revealed that the music video should be finished by the end of the month. The Strokes put out the music video for "Taken For a Fool" on July 8, 2011.
In April 2012, bassist Nikolai Fraiture posted a tweet announcing that the band was heading into the studio to work on some new ideas.[40] The Strokes later revealed that they were planning to record a new album as soon as possible. Fraiture added that the band would record their fifth album in the same manner as they put togetherAngles, with each member bringing in his own ideas and putting them together in the studio.[41] On January 17, 2013, Seattle alternative radio station107.7 The End posted on their Facebook page that they were previewing a new song by The Strokes entitled "All the Time".[42] It was later confirmed that "All the Time" would be the lead single from the untitled fifth album.[43][44][45] On January 25, 2013, the song "One Way Trigger" was published on their official website, and made available for free download.[46] The song was initially met with a mixed reaction from fans of the band.[47] On January 28, a Reddit user discovered what he correctly assumed to be the new album cover within the subpages of the band's official website, which led to a widespread rumor that the new album would be titledComedown Machine.[48][49] On January 30, the title for the fifth album was revealed to beComedown Machine, set to be released on March 26 in the U.S. and March 25 in the UK.[50] On February 13, 2013, the first single from the band's fifth album premiered on the radio, named "All the Time".[51] The single was released for download on February 19, and was described as a return to the classic Strokes sound of first albumsIs This It andRoom on Fire. The album was released on March 25, 2013, in the UK and March 26 in the United States. The band decided to pull a media blackout with the album: no promotion in the form of TV appearances, interviews, photos, shows, or tours. On October 15, 2013, the band revealed that they were looking to "return to the scene" in 2014.[52]
In May 2014, The Strokes performed their first U.S. show in three years at theCapitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, performing songs fromComedown Machine for the first time. The band played at three other shows in 2014, including two headlining slots atGovernors Ball Music Festival in New York City andFYF Fest in Los Angeles. On November 12, 2014, it was announced the band would headlinePrimavera Sound in 2015 for the festival's 15th anniversary.[53] On March 2, 2015, the band announced their second 2015 European festival headline appearance would be atLondon's annualBritish Summer Time: Hyde Park festival on June 18, 2015,[54] the band's first London show in five years.[55] The announcement takes the band's number of appearances slated for 2015 up to six, with them also playing Big Guava Music Festival inTampa, Florida,[56] Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, Georgia,[57] Landmark Festival in Washington, D.C.,[58] andAustin City Limits in Austin, Texas,[59] as well as the previously announced Primavera Sound 15th Anniversary. During their performance at Landmark Music Festival lead singer Julian Casablancas stated that the band was back in the studio working on a follow-up to their 2013 albumComedown Machine. In late 2015, The Strokes announced another date; at Monterrey, Mexico, during the festivities of the newborn festival Live Out.
The Strokes played their first show of 2016 at Samsung's Galaxy Life Fest in Austin, Texas.[60] On May 24, 2016, The Strokes announced another New York show on May 31 at theCapitol Theatre.[61] On May 26, 2016, Julian Casablancas premiered "OBLIVIUS" on the debut of his monthly radio showCulture Void onSirius XMU.Cult Records announced the release ofFuture Present Past, a four-song EP by The Strokes, in addition to the exclusive signing of the band to its roster. The EP includes three original songs ("Drag Queen", "OBLIVIUS", and "Threat of Joy"), along with an additional remix of "OBLIVIUS" by drummer, Fab Moretti. The EP was released on June 3, in both digital and physical formats to coincide with the band's headlining performance atGovernors Ball Music Festival in New York City.[62] "Future Present Past" was recorded over the past year in Austin and New York with the help of producer,Gus Oberg.
The band played at theSplendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia on July 22, 2016.[63] They followed this performance with the inaugural City of Angels Benefit concert in Los Angeles to support charities such as Waste Not Want Not Now, the Center in Hollywood, and the Downtown's Women's Center on July 25, 2016.
The band performed a series of festival dates taking place throughout early 2017. Festival dates include performances inEstéreo Picnic Festival as well asLollapalooza Brasil,Lollapalooza Chile, andLollapalooza Argentina.[64] The band's first live performance of the year took place headlining theEstéreo Picnic Festival. The crowd in attendance of their Argentina show was reportedly 90,000 people. After the Lollapalooza Argentina show, it was revealed that their headlining slot at the festival was, to this day, their "biggest show ever" by Fraiture on social media.[65]
In October 2016, guitarist Valensi indicated that the band were "slowly but surely working on an album, we're kind of just in writing sessions".[66] In July 2017 Albert Hammond Sr. said The Strokes are working with Rick Rubin.[67] Albert Hammond Jr. took to Twitter to clarify that "we met and played a few music ideas for Rick to feel out a vibe but even a theoretical album plan would be years away, if at all". He also tweeted, "Sorry everyone we are not in the studio recording" and that there were "a lot of unknowns and nothing worth speaking about at this time."[68]
In May 2019, the band performed for the first time in over two years at a benefit show in Los Angeles. At this venue, the band debuted a new song entitled "The Adults Are Talking".[69] The show kicked off the band's "global comeback" tour.[70][71] However, this tour was met with many obstacles early on, from sound issues[72] to rained-out shows[73] to entire festivals being cancelled.[74] During the band's 2019 New Year's Eve show in Brooklyn, Casablancas announced that the band's sixth studio album would be released sometime in 2020.[75] At the show, they also debuted a new song, titled "Ode to the Mets".[76]
On February 10, 2020, the band performed at a rally for presidential candidateBernie Sanders at the University of New Hampshire. At this performance, Casablancas formally announced the band's sixth studio album and that the title would beThe New Abnormal. He confirmed the release date of the album to be April 10 of that year.[77] The band reportedly played two new songs at this show. On February 11, the band released a new song, "At the Door", the first single off of their sixth studio album.[78] Two more singles followed, "Bad Decisions",[79] and "Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus".[80] Their sixth studio album,The New Abnormal, was released worldwide on April 10, 2020.[81] On October 24, the band was confirmed for their fourth appearance as the musical guest for the October 31 episode of Saturday Night Live withJohn Mulaney hosting, where they performed "The Adults are Talking" and "Bad Decisions" fromThe New Abnormal.[82][83]
On June 21, 2021, the band shared a video in support of New York City mayoral candidateMaya Wiley featuring a clip of a new song "Starting Again" co-written withGregg Alexander.[84] Throughout 2022, the band were as present as ever in touring, including headlining atLollapalooza dates in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, as well as other high-profile music festivals in Europe. On June 17, 2022, the band performed a benefit concert in support of Chicago-based congressional candidateKina Collins.[85] That summer, they toured as an opening act on theRed Hot Chili Peppers 2022 Global Stadium Tour.[86] The band continued touring in 2023 with the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as headlining festivals in the United States, Europe, and Asia.[87] One of those festivals was the first Indian edition of Lollapalooza inMumbai.[88]
In October 2022, Rubin revealed he'd been recording a new album with The Strokes inCosta Rica.[89] As of January 2025[update], there has been no update on that album, with Casablancas in particular focusing more on his experimental music withThe Voidz, remarking that with the Strokes "Some of my dreams were kind of shattered a little bit along the way within that."[90] On March 8, 2024, the band performed their second benefit concert in support of Collins' third congressional bid.[91]
In the fall of 2025, the band commenced a short tour, including headlining both weekends at theAustin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas.[92] The band also headlined the Harvest Rock Music Festival in Australia, their first show in Adelaide since last performing in 2006.[93]
The band's sound has been described asindie rock,[94][95][96]garage rock revival,[97] andpost-punk revival[98] by media outlets. The band also incorporatednew wave andsynth-pop on later records likeAngles[99] andThe New Abnormal.[100] Casablancas has citedthe Doors as an inspiration for him to start a music career,[101] andLou Reed ofthe Velvet Underground as a major influence on his lyrics and singing style: "The way Lou Reed wrote and sang about drugs and sex, about the people around him – it was so matter-of-fact," Casablancas stated in aRolling Stone interview, "Reed could be romantic in the way he portrayed these crazy situations, but he was also intensely real. It was poetry and journalism."[102] Additionally, he has stated thatBob Marley,[103]Nirvana andPearl Jam are major influences on his work, the latter being the reason that he started making music after hearing the song "Yellow Ledbetter".[104]
The Strokes' debut albumIs This It was named number one album of the year byNME and number two byRolling Stone; it earned The Strokes tremendous respect across various artists in the alternative music scene.[105] The lead singer ofLCD Soundsystem,James Murphy, has said, "Is This It was my record of the decade."[105] The album won Best International Album in 2002, nominated byNME, and the ASCAP College Vanguard Award.Brandon Flowers ofthe Killers toldNME that he felt "depressed" after hearing The Strokes' albumIs This It. "That record just sounded so perfect", he said. "We threw away everything [we were working on] and the only song that made the cut and remained was "Mr. Brightside"'.[106]
The Strokes have been said to be, "as influential to their era as the Velvet Underground or the Ramones were to theirs", byLizzy Goodman in her book on the New York City music scene, claiming that, "almost every artist I interviewed for this book – from all over the world – said it was The Strokes that opened the door for them."[107] The band was named Band of the Year in 2002 bySpin and have heavily influenced bands likethe Killers,Arctic Monkeys, andFranz Ferdinand.Alex Turner, lead singer of Arctic Monkeys, sang "I just wanted to be one of The Strokes" in their 2018 song 'Star Treatment'.[108][105] Other bands that have cited the Strokes as an influence includeWet Leg andWe Are Scientists.[109][110]
^Marchese, D. (January 2006). Music: Onward and into the audioscape – the strokes upgrade their cute dischevelment but leave a few too many sexy hooks behind. The Village Voice, 51, C81.
^McQueen, Gregg (April 16, 2014)."Interview with We Are Scientists: Returning The Favor".The Aquarian.Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2025.I feel that much of our sound, especially early on, was forged just by living in New York during the beginning of the city's indie rock era with The Strokes,Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol,Rapture and Liars. I think those bands were influences just by us being part of that music scene.