It is a difficult time for the world, and humans – as in the human part of them – need support now more than ever. It is a known fact that music is the cure for all woes, and the New York-based, iconic indie-garage band The Strokes came back, after seven long years, with their sixth LP, as if almost to rescue the remainders of our faint hearts. The New Abnormal is its title and, to be honest, it is quite a fitting description of what the contents are.
Thanks to such a strong start from ‘The Adults Are Talking’ – an upbeat, youthful tune – the album carries out seamlessly until the fifth track, ‘Eternal Summer’, a funky, out of place, kind of eternally long song. With an almost irritating falsetto, Julian Casablancas proceeds to sing for over five minutes never really getting anywhere.
With a chorus that is quite psychedelic, reminiscent of something that would be out of Pink Floyd’s discography, the song drags out repeating for three or four times the same exact structure. I have to say, not the best thing that came out of this, otherwise magnificent, album. But, on a more positive note, The New Abnormal contains one of the best songs that The Strokes have ever produced: ‘Selfless’. Going back to their glorious roots, Is This It, the band delivers an hypnotic ballad characterised by gorgeous vocals and a perfect combination of elements. Growing into a distraught and tear-jerking scream for help, Casablancas’ voice has never been clearer.
“How did this fit in your story? Why’d you let them judge your body?”
The band teased the new release with first single, ‘At the Door’ which, from the first notes, engulfs the listener with an ominous yet comforting set of synths, dragging them out in a symphony of solitude and depression. It is for sure one of the strongest tracks on the entire record, and it preambles perfectly the evolution of the band, while still recalling their musical roots.
When Casablancas’ smooth and warm voice sings the lyric “Struck me like a chord, I’m an ugly boy, holding out the night, lonely after light”, the song opens up like a breath of fresh air with stripped guitar, then to immediately fall back into darkness and pushing out the song like it were a question of life or death.
Towards the end, a pumping bass line and some drums turn this melancholic track into a hopeful and relatable hymn, adding some classic keyboard sounds typical of the band’s style. After such a strong and acclaimed single, the expectations for this record were sky high, and I have to admit that it did not disappoint.
This fullness of sounds stays untouched during another one of the best moments of this record, throughout the catchy and eclectic ‘Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus’, which sees the self-deprecatory reprise of “I want new friends, but they don’t want me” as main mantra. The next track, ‘Bad Decisions’, is very powerful sound-wise. Starting with their best drums and a guitar riff that reminds me of The Cure’s best songs, it gives the listener energy and motivation to go on with their day. The vocals here are once again very smooth, and the chorus is very carefree and, even if some might see it as sloppy, I believe that it gives it character, this was the band’s objective.
The last half of the nine-song-long album, reaches a new melancholic dimension, one that was just hinted at in the first half. All the tracks in this album are particularly lengthy, which is a winning characteristic, in my opinion. Even if it has a weak start, ‘Why Are Sundays So Depressing’ carries out a heartfelt chorus, with electronic sounds in the background that take the listener back a few years. But, the real protagonists of this comeback album are the last two songs: ‘Not The Same Anymore’ and the final ‘Ode To The Mets’.
The former has a very elegant persona, enlightened with timeless fascination to The Strokes’ main sounds, the ones that remind you of home. Carrying the listener on a nostalgic trip, rich of rough vocals and high-pitched guitar solos, the last, painful track, approaches. ‘Ode To The Mets’ starts off like a bad DJ set, but as soon as the guitar chimes in, almost off tempo, the most intense five-minutes-and-something begin. Really low vocals accompany the tormented instrumental, constellated by a simple yet effective bass line, opening up with plain drums. It is a relatively simple song, made complicated by the lyrics and by the raw vocals. If someone asked me how I would define Strokes’ music, I would show them this song.
“So pardon the silence that you’re hearing, it’s turning’ into a deafening, painful, shameful roar…”
Between ups and downs, this album has hit close to home in a way nobody expected it to. The album ends on a note reminiscent of Eliot’s famous quote: “This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper”, and I think The Strokes have finally reached this apocalyptic, existential conclusion: in order to hear the silence and find peace, there has to be noise. In this case, The New Abnormal, is the carrier of sound; with its weird and paradoxical melodies it strengthens The Strokes’ discography and helps the world through this tragic, historical moment.
