The New Abnormal: A Melancholic Comeback

The Strokes mature past their teenage angst in this melancholic reflection of an album.

Though The Strokes have captured the minds of rebellious youth for generations with their first two records “Is This It” and “Room on Fire,” their later projects have been criticized for bizarre creative choices, unfocused jittery sounds, and an overall inconsistency one wouldn’t expect from a band with two ten out of ten albums to begin their career. Six years after “Comedown Machine,” an album seemingly forced out by the band with no promotional material or tour, The Strokes have returned to the music world with a new synthy sound, more emotion, and their classic poetic lyricism taken to its artful extreme. “The New Abnormal” is a familiar evolution for the band, a grown up version of the 20 something New Yorkers with all of the catchy chorus’ one could ask for expertly blended with the crew’s most melancholic melodies to date. Meaning, not only is the band’s latest project their most unified in about a decade, but their most heartfelt as well.

While The Strokes have had a nihilistic “over it” mentality since the opening lyrics on “Is This It,” those lyrics feel motivated by teenage angst more than genuine life experience. Songs such as “Barely Legal” and “Is This It?” provide a depressing reflection on lost love, but it’s a young adult’s perception of heartbreak. On “Barely Legal,” Julian Casablancas presents himself as the wise adult in his failed relationship, lecturing his partner to spend money wisely, to “take no shortcuts,” etc. However, the relationship is tainted with typical teenage shenanigans, such as Julian’s friends pushing him to intentionally harm the relationship (”They ordered me to make mistakes”) and Julian wanting to “steal her innocence.” The song is fast, upbeat, and somehow tame with emotion compared to the angry rock bands of the late 90s. However, turning to “The New Abnormal,” we see how the band has evolved past their days of secret relationships and childlike romances. Instead of insisting his sexual desire for an innocent partner to breakneck guitars, on “Selfless” Julian belts a long and painful “How does this fit in your story?” paired with a sole keyboard to highlight his stunning vocal performance poisoned with a sense of longing. There’s not a desire for sex, but a need to understand. Why didn’t we work? Why can’t we live our lives together? How does this, us, me, fit into your life? It’s a take on love that only comes with life experience and hardship, proving the band has matured in their six year hiatus in only the second song on the album.

In fact, a good portion of the album is made up of melancholic tracks. Again, the band has always implemented a twang of heartbreak in their sound, but never have their albums been made up of so many calm, mature, and saddened reflections. “At the Door” is a minimalist track with Casablancas’ painful declarations of a life permanently off kilter being accompanied by droning synths, ones that eventually shroud the vocalist in a fog of hazy and droning loss. It’s safe to say that releasing this song as the album’s lead single set a precedent for the band’s audience, one that says “this isn’t your old Strokes.” “Selfless,” as previously mentioned, sets a similar tone by being the second song on the album with lyrics like “Can the dark side light my way out?” and “ Please don’t be long, cause I want you now, I don’t have love without you around” showing a promise to commitment that contrasts the youthful mentality of the band’s past. “Not the Same Anymore” is in character for the band for its lack of subtly alone. Piercing guitars heighten the deep reflections from Julian with poetic lyrics such as “And now it’s time to show up, Late again, I can't grow up, And now it's on me, they've given up” to make for a uniquely depressing Strokes song, one that is as painful to listen to as it must’ve been for Julian to write. While more upbeat, the winding, persistent synth on “Why Are Sunday’s So Depressing” and dissonant ending to “Eternal Summer” make typical Strokes songs more engaging, emotional, and pained than one would expect, thereby capturing the essence of the band while simultaneously evolving them past their previous sound. Finally, “Ode to the Mets” is, to me, a life changing song and perfect closer. Upon first listen I couldn’t stop, pressing play until I couldn’t anymore and then some. It unarguably matches the band’s intentions with the song, to write a celebration of those that continue to disappoint, and to end an album on such a depressing exclamation mark is bold for the group, but thematically in tact for such an album.

However, that doesn’t mean “The New Abnormal” will disappoint old fans. Songs like “The Adults are Talking” and “Bad Decisions” are instant classics with their fast tempo and catchy lyrics that put them up there with other nostalgic Strokes greats. What makes the album so impressive then is how it manages to balance the upbeat excitement the band is known for with their more mature sound, one defined by synths and polish thanks to new producer Rick Rubin. Rather than a failed experiment at modernizing the bands youthful, grungy, static filled sound like on “First Impressions of Earth,” the implementation of the synths feels like a logical next step for the band and their newfound maturity. Where the band was once angry at the world, brimming with contagious energy, and upset about cheap love, they are now disillusioned adults. While The Strokes still manage to capture a universal experience with sounds fit for the group, it’s clear they have truly lived through those difficult experiences instead of viewing them behind youth-tinted goggles. Like the static filter of the past, the synths are one of a kind, creating a new form of rock that can be both emotionally destructive or infinitely replay-able. The synths are either background players layered on top to create the bands signature controlled chaos, more prominent to heighten the emotion in Julian’s vocal performances, or replacing traditional instruments all together. In other words, “The New Abnormal” satisfyingly explores a unique sound to all of its emotional and technical extremes, making for an idea that feels well developed and driven by creative and thematic choices rather than a desperate attempt at vocal maturity.

For me, all of this culminates in not only The Strokes’ most cohesive and impressive project to date, but one of my favorite albums of all time. The versatility of the songs presented make for an easy windows down listen some days and a perfect crying partner the next. The nuanced use of synths makes for an album that shocks you with every new iteration of the same idea, which are then used to enhance the bands older sounds to make for a perfect evolution on a timeless approach. Pairing the instrumentals with Casablancas’ most poetic song writing and greatest vocal performances to date then makes for a complete package sonically and thematically. The result is what I can safely say is close to a perfect album; one that shocks, pleases, and scars its audience with each track. The Strokes matured and wore their newfound emotions on their sleeves while creating this masterpiece, and I for one would not mind if this is a shift in the status quo for The Strokes, if this unique brand of rock became their new abnormal.