the Strokes
the Strokes, American rock group often credited with having spearheaded a revival of 1960s-style garage rock in the early 21st century. Although their songs hinted at a rough-and-tumble life, the Strokes were composed mainly of privileged sons of the New York City elite. Singer Julian Casablancas (b. August 23, 1978, New York, New York, U.S.), guitarist Nick Valensi (b. January 16, 1981, New York City), and drummer Fabrizio Moretti (b. June 2, 1980, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) began playing together in 1998 as schoolmates in Manhattan. Guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. (b. April 9, 1980, Los Angeles, California)—the son of British singer-songwriter Albert Hammond—and bassist Nikolai Fraiture (b. November 13, 1978, New York City) joined shortly thereafter, solidifying the Strokes as a quintet in 1999.
Playing clubs on New York’s Lower East Side, the group quickly became local favourites. Its debut EP, The Modern Age (2001), earned the adoration of the British music press, most notably the magazine NME. The Strokes’ lean hooks, laconic vocals, and spartan production—seen by many as a much-needed breath of fresh air in the rock world of the early 21st century—inspired a wave of followers before the group’s first album had even been released. Is This It hit the shelves in the United Kingdom in the summer of 2001, with an American release following several months later (the controversial track “New York City Cops” was removed from the American version of the album as a gesture of respect in the wake of the September 11 attacks). Already the toast of the music press, the Strokes also landed on tabloid pages as a result of the band members’ rock-star antics and celebrity liaisons.
By the 2003 release of the new wave-inspired Room on Fire, the Strokes phenomenon had already peaked, but the band retained a large following. Featuring another crop of infectious but coolly delivered rock songs—including “12:51,” which cracked the top 10 of the British pop singles chart—the album was considered by critics to be of a piece with its predecessor. First Impressions of Earth (2006) featured more robust, polished production and greater songwriting ambition than the band’s earlier recordings but failed to command a similar level of fervour. After its release, the band members spent the next several years pursuing side projects, including Moretti’s well-received rock trio Little Joy and solo efforts by Casablancas, Hammond, and (under the name Nickel Eye) Fraiture. The reassembled Strokes followed with Angles (2011) and Comedown Machine (2013). Awash in layers of electronic sounds, the albums moved the band farther away from the stripped-down rock by which it had made its name, and they were met with largely mixed reviews. In 2014 Casablancas formed a new band, the Voidz, which released albums in 2014 and 2018. However, the Strokes also continued to perform, and in 2016 they released an EP, Future Present Past, on Cult Records, a label founded in 2009 by Casablancas. The Strokes’ sixth studio album, The New Abnormal (2020), produced by Rick Rubin, was hailed as a return to form and generally won positive reviews.