New York City in 2001 was a weird place for music. You had the dying gasps of nu-metal, Britney Spears dominating the airwaves, and a general sense that guitar music had become bloated, corporate, and honestly, pretty boring. Then five guys from Manhattan walked onto a stage at the Mercury Lounge in Converse sneakers and leather jackets. They looked like they hadn't slept in three days. They sounded like a garage band that had accidentally mastered the art of the perfect melody. The Strokes didn't just release an album; they flipped a switch that turned the lights back on for an entire generation of indie musicians.
It’s easy to look back now and think their success was inevitable. It wasn’t.
When Is This It dropped, it felt like a lightning strike. People forget that the US release was actually delayed because of the 9/11 attacks—the band had to swap out the track "New York City Cops" because it felt insensitive at the time. But even with a last-minute tracklist change, the record became the blueprint. If you’ve listened to Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, or even The Killers, you’re listening to the ripples caused by Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture, and Fabrizio Moretti.
The Myth of the "Trust Fund" Rockers
One thing that always gets brought up when people talk about The Strokes is their background. Yes, Julian’s dad founded Elite Model Management. Yes, Albert’s dad wrote "To All the Girls I've Loved Before." Critics loved to weaponize that. They called them "trust fund kids" playing at being poor.
But here’s the thing: you can’t buy chemistry.
You can have all the money in the world and still write terrible songs. The reason The Strokes worked wasn't because of their bank accounts; it was because they practiced like maniacs. Gordon Raphael, the producer who worked on their early material, often talks about how disciplined they were in the studio. Julian Casablancas was a notorious perfectionist. He wasn't just the singer; he was the architect. He wrote almost every part of every instrument on those first two records. He knew exactly how the interlocking guitar lines between Nick and Albert should click together like a jigsaw puzzle.
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They weren't just some sloppy garage band. They were a Swiss watch disguised as a mess.
Why "Is This It" is Still the Gold Standard
If you put on "Reptilia" or "Last Nite" today, they don't sound dated. Why? Because they avoided the production clichés of the early 2000s. There’s no over-the-top digital gloss. The drums sound like actual drums in a room. The vocals are distorted through a small practice amp, giving Julian that signature "telephone" grit.
The formula was actually pretty simple:
- Interlocking Guitars: Instead of a lead and a rhythm player, Nick and Albert played complementary parts. Think of it like a conversation where nobody is shouting over the other.
- The "Machine" Rhythm: Fab Moretti’s drumming is famously steady. He doesn't do flashy fills. He keeps the pocket so tight it allows the guitars to wander.
- The Melodic Bass: Nikolai Fraiture’s basslines are often the secret hook of the song. Listen to "Is This It"—the bass carries the melody while the guitars just provide atmosphere.
Most bands try too hard. The Strokes made not trying look like an art form, even though they were actually trying very hard behind the scenes. It's a classic New York move.
The Mid-Career Identity Crisis
By the time First Impressions of Earth came out in 2006, the pressure was starting to show. The songs got longer. The production got cleaner. Julian started experimenting with his vocal range, moving away from the "cool bored guy" monotone into actual screaming and operatic flourishes. Some fans hated it. Others thought it was the only way for the band to survive.
Honestly, the "hiatus" years were rough for fans. Between 2006 and 2011, it felt like the band was over. Solo projects started popping up. Albert Hammond Jr. released Yours to Keep, which actually captured some of that early Strokes magic better than the band’s own recent output.
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When they finally returned with Angles and Comedown Machine, the vibe had shifted. They weren't five guys in a room anymore. They were sending files to each other. They were using synths. They were wearing neon. It was divisive. Some critics claimed they were just fulfilling contract obligations. But if you dig into Comedown Machine, there’s some of their most experimental and interesting work, like "80s Comedown Machine" or the falsetto-heavy "One Way Trigger." They were bored of being the "saviors of rock," so they decided to become a weird 80s pop band instead.
The Resurrection: The New Abnormal
Nobody expected a band twenty years into their career to win a Grammy for Best Rock Album, but that’s exactly what happened with The New Abnormal in 2020. Working with Rick Rubin was the best thing that ever happened to them. Rubin basically forced them to be a band again. He stripped away the over-thinking.
The result? "The Adults Are Talking" and "Selfless"—songs that felt as vital as anything on their debut but with the emotional weight of men in their 40s. Julian’s lyrics moved away from "last night she said" to more abstract, political, and deeply personal themes.
It proved that they weren't just a nostalgia act. They actually had something left to say.
How to Listen to The Strokes Like an Expert
If you're just getting into them, don't just stick to the hits. Everyone knows "Someday."
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To really get the band, you have to look at the b-sides and the deeper cuts. "I'll Try Anything Once" is a demo version of "You Only Live Once" played on a piano, and it’s arguably one of the most beautiful things they’ve ever recorded. It shows the vulnerability that Julian usually hides under layers of distortion.
Also, watch their 2002 performance on MTV $2 Bill. It is peak Strokes. The energy is frantic, the clothes are perfect, and the band is so tight it’s scary. It captures a moment in time before the internet completely took over the music industry—the last gasp of the "cool" guitar band era.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think The Strokes are "simple."
If you try to play their songs on guitar, you’ll realize how wrong that is. The timing is weird. The chords aren't your standard campfire chords; they use a lot of 7th chords and strange inversions that come more from jazz or New Wave than from standard rock and roll. Nick Valensi is one of the most underrated guitarists of his generation because he makes incredibly difficult parts look effortless.
They also aren't as "lazy" as their image suggests. You don't stay at the top of the festival circuit for two decades by being lazy. You do it by having a discography that has zero "bad" albums—even their worst-reviewed records have two or three tracks that most indie bands would kill for.
Your Next Steps to Deep Dive
- Listen to "Modern Age" (The EP version): Before the album, there was the Modern Age EP. The versions of the songs are faster, rawer, and have a different energy than the ones on Is This It.
- Watch the "Someday" Music Video: It features cameos from Guided by Voices and Slash. It’s a perfect time capsule of the NYC scene in the early 2000s.
- Read "Meet Me in the Bathroom" by Lizzy Goodman: If you want the real, unvarnished story of the band and the scene they created, this oral history is the definitive source. It covers the partying, the feuds, and the eventual burnout in grueling detail.
- Compare the "US" vs "UK" album covers: The US cover of Is This It is a psychedelic subatomic particle track, while the UK cover is the famous "gloved hand on a hip" photo. It’s a fun bit of trivia that changed how the band was marketed in different territories.
The Strokes didn't just change music; they changed how people dressed, how they talked, and what they expected from a rock star. They brought back the idea that being in a band could be cool without being pretentious. Whether they release another album next year or ten years from now, their place in the pantheon is already set. They are the last great New York guitar band.