{"id":15183,"date":"2026-07-24T00:48:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15183"},"modified":"2026-07-24T00:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:48:16","slug":"the-strokes-get-weird-on-new-album-reality-awaits-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15183","title":{"rendered":"The Strokes Get Weird on New Album Reality Awaits: Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-id=\"1613367\" data-title=\"The Strokes Push Past Abnormal on Wildly Engaging, AutoTuned Reality Awaits: Review\" data-url=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/2026\/07\/the-strokes-reality-awaits-album-review\/\" data-page=\"1\" data-pages=\"1\">\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A quarter-century after their breakout debut, <a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/artist\/the-strokes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Strokes<\/a> are in an interesting stage of their career. Over the past 25 years, the New York City quartet have gone from rock music messiahs to absent icons to TikTok\u2019s favorite indie band, thanks in large part to the creative refresher that was <\/span><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/2020\/04\/album-review-the-strokes-the-new-abnormal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The New Abnormal<\/em><\/a>.<\/span><span class=\"s1\"> Now, shortly after <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/2026\/04\/the-strokes-coachella-2026-setlist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><del><span class=\"s3\">opening for Justin Bieber<\/span><\/del><\/a><span class=\"s1\"> their rousing, <a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/2026\/04\/the-strokes-coachella-political-statement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">headline-grabbing<\/a> Coachella performances, the gang returns with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4pxwhig\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><em><span class=\"s2\">Reality Awaits<\/span><\/em><\/a><span class=\"s1\">, a release that proves their 2020s form is indeed their new abnormal. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As the band does on the new set, let\u2019s begin by jumping headfirst into the deep end. <em><span class=\"s2\">Reality Awaits\u00a0<\/span><\/em><span class=\"s2\">opens with \u201cPsycho Shit,\u201d which beckons you in with an ominous arpeggio and ethereal swells. An AutoTuned Julian Casablancas (more on that vocal choice later) then joins to guide the song through its five-minute crescendo. \u201cDine N\u2019Dash,\u201d the absolutely batshit second track, immediately follows that extended intro with one of the most unpredictable listening experiences you\u2019ll find in <a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/list\/the-strokes-15-best-songs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Strokes\u2019 catalog<\/a>. The tune kicks off with an icy, post-punk groove and a melody that sounds like an evil echo of their <em>New Abnormal <\/em>hit \u201cThe Adults Are Talking,\u201d while later sections of the track feature everything from grand dynamic shifts to Casablancas performing spoken word in a British accent to, yes, more AutoTune.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vivid-seats.pxf.io\/c\/1882189\/952533\/12730?subId1=strokes%2Areality-awaits-button&amp;subId2=&amp;subId3=&amp;sharedid=&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vividseats.com%2Fthe-strokes-tickets%2Fperformer%2F2198\" class=\"button button-ticket\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Find The Strokes Tickets Here<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Save for maybe the closer, the one-two punch of that opening houses the most out-there moments of <em>Reality Awaits<\/em>. In one sense, it\u2019s an insane way to kick off the album. In another, it effectively introduces the strange unreality of the record\u2019s world. The rest of the tracklist might be relatively more accessible, but the band is far from the immediacy of a \u201cSomeday\u201d or the instantly inviting rocking nature of a \u201cReptilia.\u201d Even at their most straightforward, these songs are warped, warbled, and prone to take a sudden left turn or introduce new elements just as quickly as they\u2019ll abandon established ones.<\/p>\n<p>Take \u201cLonely in the Future\u201d: For ten seconds, it sounds like it\u2019s going to be an absolute barn-burner, as an amped-up, fuzzed-out bass line leads the charge. In actuality, the rest of the track is a breezy, jovial jam complete with a syncopated, dance-friendly groove and auto-crooning. Similarly, \u201cThe Fruits of Conquest\u201d comes across like a mutated Rolling Stones number before melting away into guitar slides and a psychedelic vocal refrain in the back end. That cut, as well as \u201cLiar\u2019s Remorse,\u201d also boasts seemingly unrelated, though genuinely intriguing, outro vignettes. All the while, ear-grabbing timbres and clean but chaos-curious production abound.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Strokes - Going Shopping (Official Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4u3iI1WuU0k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Related Video<\/p>\n<p>Casablancas is also \u2014 and this is said with love \u2014 operating at an all-time high when it comes to bullshittery. Throughout the LP\u2019s nine songs, the frontman engages in the aforementioned sections of spoken word, culturally referential lyrics, on-mic asides (a personal favorite is \u201charmonic minor!\u201d on \u201cLiar\u2019s Remorse\u201d), self-induced chuckles, and, of course, the AutoTune. Oh, the AutoTune\u2026<\/p>\n<p>For all of\u00a0<em>Reality<\/em> <em>Awaits<\/em>\u2019 structural and musical weirdness, Casablancas\u2019 liberal use of AutoTune is guaranteed to spark the most discourse among fans. The two previously released singles \u2014 the dreamy, sensitive <a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/2026\/05\/the-strokes-new-song-falling-out-of-love\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cFalling Out of Love\u201d<\/a> and the summery, absurdist <a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/2026\/06\/the-strokes-going-shopping-music-video-walton-goggins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cGoing Shopping\u201d<\/a> \u2014 were warmly received except for the strong choices when it came to the vocals. It seems as if The Strokes could give a fuck about such a split reception, though, as evidenced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/TheStrokes\/comments\/1ujhfgz\/another_julian_miniresponse_to_the_usage_of\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reactive comments<\/a>, as well as the bitter, Anthony Fantano-dissing lyrics of \u201cLonely in the Future,\u201d a song ostensibly about how Casablancas is sick and cool and ahead of his time and if you don\u2019t like it you just don\u2019t get it, man. (He\u2019s lucky the song is pretty sick and cool to match.)<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s largely the vibe of\u00a0<em>Reality Awaits\u00a0<\/em>as a whole. Maybe they feel emboldened by the lasting success of <em>The New Abnormal<\/em>; maybe it\u2019s just the fact that they\u2019re well into their 40s now, but The Strokes sound like they have no fucks left to give. That\u2019s not to say that they\u2019re phoning it in \u2014 far from it. The guitar interplay between Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. is consistently great, and Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti\u2019s rhythm section is just as impressive. No, The Strokes aren\u2019t looking to cash out with some easy nostalgia play \u2014 they\u2019re doing whatever weird shit they want.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4vMzxrB\" class=\"button button-ticket\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Get Reality Awaits on Vinyl\/CD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In theory, that\u2019s not necessarily new for them. They\u2019ve been branching away from, perhaps even rebelling against, their original <em>Is This It?\u00a0<\/em>recipe since <em>Angles <\/em>or even moments from\u00a0<em>First Impressions of Earth<\/em>. <em>Reality Awaits<\/em>, though, feels like the crew\u2019s biggest swing yet, guided by nothing but their intuition and their ongoing battle to balance classic rock swagger and \u2018music from the future\u2019 innovation. It\u2019s <em>The New Abnormal\u00a0<\/em>with fewer guardrails, with a dash more Voidz, with whatever nutso energy comes from recording with Rick Rubin in Costa Rica. That\u2019s potentially polarizing ground, especially if you can\u2019t stomach the AutoTune, but if you\u2019re able to keep your bearings, like a cowboy on a bucking white stallion, <em>Reality Awaits\u00a0<\/em>is an always interesting, consistently rewarding ride.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0px; border-radius: 12px; width: 100%; height: 450px; max-width: 660px;\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.music.apple.com\/us\/album\/reality-awaits\/1891161441?itscg=30200&amp;itsct=music_box_player&amp;ls=1&amp;app=music&amp;mttnsubad=1891161441&amp;ct=the-strokes-reality-awaits-review&amp;theme=auto\" width=\"100%\" height=\"450\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Reality Awaits<\/em> Artwork:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;fit=1031%2C580&amp;quality=80&amp;strip=\" alt=\"the strokes - reality awaits\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1556714 size-large\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=350,350 350w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=356,356 356w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=208,208 208w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=79,79 79w, https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-strokes.jpg?resize=96,96 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n\t\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\n\t\tn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=1;\n\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\n\t\tdocument,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\tfbq('init', '1753966171496536');\n\t\tfbq('set','agent','tmgoogletagmanager', '1753966171496536');\n\t\tfbq('track', \"PageView\");\n\t<\/script><script defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&#038;version=v7.0&#038;appId=434175690014\" nonce=\"6gwmbCtM\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A quarter-century after their breakout debut, The Strokes are in an interesting stage of their career. Over the past 25 years, the New York City quartet have gone from rock music messiahs to absent icons to TikTok\u2019s favorite indie band, thanks in large part to the creative refresher that was The New Abnormal. Now, shortly&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/consequence.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-strokes-photo-by-Johann-Rashid.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}