Yes, if you haven’t heard it yet, The Strokes have released their first full-length album in seven years. Julian Casablancas had taken a break from making music with The Strokes to develop his side-project, The Voidz, and fans are, to say the least, ecstatic at the band’s return. Given the circumstances of self-isolation, lockdown, quarantine, or whatever you want to call it, there isn’t much to do except to work out, be creative, or listen to the creativity of others. That being said, this record couldn’t have been dropped at a better time, especially for the longtime fans.

What appears to be a massive warm welcome back on Twitter, The New Abnormal seems to have received a positive response from listeners overall. Of course there are a few fans that seem reluctant to wholeheartedly accept the album as – unsurprisingly – questions of authenticity arise accompanied by the fact that you can’t please everyone.

I wanted to make sure I devoted my undivided attention and a good mood where my head wasn’t clouded or my judgment impaired – as you can probably take a guess at what other few quarantine activities there are to do. So, I decided to go on a peaceful drive out in the desert sun where it was just me, my loudspeakers, and Julian Casablancas’ howls. To start us off, with the opening track titled, “The Adults Are Talking,” the band immediately dives headfirst into a pool of nostalgia and delivers what fans have long been waiting for. They play it safe by staying loyal to their old work and captivating listeners with a classic Strokes sound that is recognizable and enjoyable. From my experience listening to the record for the first time yesterday, and many times since, I would say this is a solid dreamy track that kicks things off on the right foot and made me excited to hear what’s next.

While cruising around on what has been the only day out of the week with clear blue skies, the album starts really strong and sets a feel-good jangly mood as it takes us down the road through more tracks like “Selfless” and “Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus.” Delivering poetic lyrics like “please don’t be long, ‘cause I want your love,” JC’s renowned vocals sound refreshingly sharper and cleaner. In comparison to his earlier vocal presence on other records like Is This It or Angles, where his voice is either muffled or he’d experiment melodically with a slight accent, there is a difference here that is hard to ignore. Though it could just be an effect made noticeable due to production or whether you choose to call it artistic growth or a change in style, it works really well here as his voice continues to enamor our earbuds.

“Bad Decisions” references their 80s New Wave influence the heaviest as while listening, it is almost inevitable to immediately have the image of a coming of age film in mind and think this song should be featured on its soundtrack (think: The Breakfast Club or Perks of Being a Wallflower.) In fact, when compared to Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself,” there is undoubtedly an inspiration that paves the way to naming this track the biggest ode to the 80s sound that The Strokes are known for connecting us to in our modern era of music. 

However, while driving around to get my mind off of being under the cover of quarantine, I realized I lost interest midway through the album. I think the record peaks at “Eternal Summer.” There is something that “At The Door” just doesn’t match within itself – from the disarranged vocals to the synth overload – it falls out of place from the record altogether. It sounds like it’s too many things thrown together for the sake of having a slow song that stands out; it stands out, but for the wrong reasons. If this is an experimental attempt to make it sound like there’s two or three songs produced smoothly in one go, it ends up sounding like more of a drawn out mess than one consistent trip. A notable track that does what I think was the intention here is Tame Impala’s “Posthumous Forgiveness” from their album, The Slow Rush, also released early this year. It doesn’t make The New Abnormal terrible, but it does distract and take away from it.

Nevertheless, the last few songs save the day and pull the album back together by closing with smooth hymn-like melodies that we are more comfortable and familiar with. The best slow track of the album has to be none other than “Not The Same Anymore.” There will always be something about a somber and melancholic tune accompanied by crooning guitars and lovesick lyrics that do really well with these guys. That being said, as I write this on a Sunday night feeling lonely as I’m sure the rest of the world does – I listen and I ask myself, why are Sunday’s so depressing?

Recommended tracks: “The Adults are Talking,” “Selfless,” “Bad Decisions,” “Why Are Sunday’s So Depressing” and “Not The Same Anymore.”