Blue Plate Special: The Strokes
The Strokes emerged from late-1990s New York City as a band that made restraint feel radical. Formed by Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture, and Fabrizio Moretti, they distilled garage rock and post-punk influences into sharp, economical songs built on interlocking guitars, deadpan rhythms, and Casablancas’ detached, melodic snarl. Their 2001 debut Is This It didn’t just revive interest in stripped-down rock—it redefined it, pairing Velvet Underground cool and Doors-like swagger with a distinctly modern minimalism. The band’s sound felt deliberately unfinished and immediate, like overhearing something vital through a cracked door, and it set the tone for an entire generation of early-2000s indie and alternative acts.
Equally influential was The Strokes’ visual and creative identity: leather jackets, thrift-store nonchalance, stark photography, and music videos that favored mood over spectacle. Working closely with filmmaker Roman Coppola, their visuals mirrored the music—grainy, angular, retro-futurist, and effortlessly aloof. Over time, albums like Room on Fire, Angles, and The New Abnormal expanded their palette to include new wave textures, synths, and subtle polish without losing the band’s core sense of tension and cool detachment. Even through long periods of inactivity, The Strokes maintained a mythic presence, ultimately returning with The New Abnormal as a reminder that their greatest strength lies in making simplicity feel timeless—and making effort look suspiciously easy.
Some of my favorites from their catalog:
Last Night – from the album Is This It (2001)
12:51- from the album Room on Fire (2003)
The Adults Are Talking – from the album The New Abnormal (2020)
Machu Picchu – from the album Angles (2011)
Hard to Explain – from the album Is This It (2001)
Welcome to Japan – from the album Comedown Machine (2013)
You Only Live Once – from the album First Impressions of Earth (2006)
Someday – from the album Is This It (2001)
Oblivius – from the EP Future Present Past (2016)
