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Reality Awaits ends the longest gap between Strokes albums marking the band's first full-length release since 2020's Grammy-winning The New Abnormal. Produced by Rick Rubin, the record looks set to build on that album's late-career resurgence while recapturing the effortless cool that's made the band one of indie rock's defining names.
The first single, "Going Shopping," suggests a familiar but refreshed sound, pairing Julian Casablancas' laid-back vocals with jagged guitars, punchy rhythms and lyrics that balance surreal humour with observations about modern life. Elsewhere, track titles like "Lonely in the Future," "Falling out of Love" and "Liar's Remorse" hint at an album that's a little more reflective than some of their earlier work, without sacrificing the swagger and melodic hooks fans expect.
What makes Reality Awaits especially exciting is that it doesn't feel like a nostalgia exercise. After six years apart, and with each member exploring side projects in the meantime, the band seem to have come back with renewed energy rather than simply trying to recreate Is This It. Rick Rubin's production keeps things stripped back and direct, letting the chemistry between Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti take centre stage.
If The New Abnormal proved The Strokes still had plenty left to say, Reality Awaits feels like the sound of a band enjoying themselves again. Expect razor-sharp riffs, effortlessly catchy choruses and that unmistakable New York cool that's influenced countless guitar bands over the past two decades. It already has all the ingredients of a record that longtime fans have been waiting years to hear.
Tracklist
1. Psycho Shit
2. Dine N’Dash
3. Lonely in the Future
4. Falling out of Love
5. Going to Babble On
6. Going Shopping
7. Liar’s Remorse
8. The Fruits of Conquest
9. Pros and Cons