Is This It vs The New Abnormal: How Much Have The Strokes Really Changed?

By Isabelle Parker

Left to right- Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr, Julian Casablancas, Fabrizio Moretti and Nikolai Fraiture (Photo from

Many fans of the alternative rock band The Strokes have been complaining about the shift in the group's style.

The band, consisting of lead singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Albert Hammond Jr and Nick Valensi, drummer Fabrizio Moretti and bassist Nikolai Fraiture, were a leading group in the 2000s indie rock revival. Their signature style is a mix of distorted, hazy vocals and killer guitar, and have been referred to as a classic 'garage band' on multiple occasions.

The group's early sounds were influenced by artists such as The Velvet Underground, The Doors, and The Stooges, and have been the inspiration for bands such as The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, and Kings of Leon.

The Strokes' debut album, Is This It, was a raging success, reaching No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 33 on the US Billboard 200. It was released in Australia in 2001, and is made up of 11 tracks.

The group's newest album, The New Abnormal, was released in 2020, and consists of 9 tracks. It reached spot No. 1 in Scotland, and was on the list of top ten albums in six different countries. The LP also won a Grammy for Best Rock Album in 2021.

While the compilation was popular among listeners and critics, many hardcore fans are lamenting over the loss of The Strokes' original sound.

Is This It

In classic garage band form, Is This It was recorded in just over 36 minutes.

The album is nothing short of a masterpiece-- it sums up the angst and intense emotions that youth all over the world are prone to experiencing. The magic of the tracks is that they can make me- someone who has never drunk, smoked, or even been to a party (if you don't count a bunch of five- year- olds dressed as princesses handing a parcel around a circle) feel like I am the life of the crowd. When listening to Is This It, I feel just as cool sitting at home in bed as I would out at a late night party with my friends.

Is This It has the power to make people reminiscent of a time they have never actually experienced.

It's an addictive feeling.

The title track, Is This It, is a melancholy and languid tribute to the loss of hope in relationships. It is a haunting tune that puts into words the feelings of many youths universally.

The New Abnormal

The New Abnormal is The Stroke's sixth album.

The sounds of this compilation are certainly different from that of earlier ones- they are cleaner and have a more pop-y feel. Instead of the catchy and passionate drumming heard in Is This It, we experience an almost electronic sounding beat, coupled with the much less distorted vocals of Casablancas. These minor changes become significant when melded together to create each song. The tracks leave a different impression on the listener; they centre less around teenage anxiety and frustration, and instead around more mature topics. The lyrics have been honed to create touching ideas and themes, and many of the songs could be viewed as ballads.

I personally find many of the songs to be too long, with the average length being around five minutes. There is less of the raw guitar that makes The Strokes' earlier albums so appealing, and their sound is tighter than in previous records-- which can be viewed as either good or bad.

In saying this, The New Abnormal is still an infinitely better album that many that are recorded today. It still has a garage band feel, and while its tracks are certainly different from the ones on Is This It, they are enjoyable in a different way. The sounds are complex and well thought out, and simply possess a different feel than their other recordings.

Each of their albums is different in its own way, and that is part of what makes them great. If a band stuck to one single, specific style its entire career, listeners would eventually get bored. Even with Room On Fire, fans were saying that the album was a copy of Is This It, and that was only their second LP.

In a world full of electronic beats, fast paced rapping and heavily autotuned singing, what we really need is a band unafraid to stand against the overwhelming flow of time. The Strokes have managed to retain their original appeal while still experimenting with new sounds and making each album different from the last. While no other release will live up to their debut, The Strokes have created a legacy that will withstand the changing times, and Is This It will continue to inspire and amaze listeners everywhere.

And to anyone who disagrees- well that's fine, because I think we should.