Music Review: The Strokes - Reality Bites

After succumbing to the hype and lo-fi charms of their debut album, Is This It, I gradually lost track of The Strokes’ career until reconnecting with them on The New Abnormal, which was my favourite album of 2020 and for which the band won a Grammy for Best Rock Album. Almost as a response to this newfound acceptance, they’ve just released Reality Awaits, their long-awaited follow-up and possibly their strangest album to date.

The initial response has been quite polarising, with some fans even suggesting it is controversial. So what is all the fuss about?

Many fans seem to take issue with the extensive use of autotune on Julian Casablancas’s vocals, which I find amusing, as he has used effects on his voice since their first album. It’s also a shame that it has become such a contentious issue, as Reality Awaits is a great album. The first time I played it in the shop, Palmer was quick to turn it off (I’m guessing he’s not a fan of autotune), but listening on headphones on the way home, the album started to reveal its charms.

There’s a lot packed into the album’s nine songs. The lyrics probe and cut deeply, weaving deadpan humour with surreal observations, while the music has a veneer of artifice that masks the tight and incisive playing by the band and softens the jarring detours that some of the songs take.

While it’s sure to evoke an immediate reaction in any listener, Reality Awaits perfectly captures the zeitgeist of alienation, weirdness and doom of the 2020s. Stick with it, and repeated listens reveal subtle nuances and real depth beneath the shiny and superficial surface. 

Listen here

by Chris:The Real Music Company Auckland