JAKARTA - The New York indie rock band, The Strokes, finally answered the long wait of their fans by announcing their latest studio album with the title Reality Awaits.
This news marks the return of Julian Casablancas et al. after the last time they released the album "The New Abnormal" in 2020, which then led the band to win a Grammy.
The certainty regarding The Strokes' seventh album was uploaded via their official social media account on Monday, April 6.
In a short video that is full of retro aesthetics, the band features a 1980s-era Nissan 300ZX car with the sound of The Strokes' signature guitar. The video ends with a firm text: "Reality Awaits. New album from The Strokes. Release this summer."
This step follows a series of clues that the band has posted in recent weeks. The momentum of this announcement is also considered very appropriate because The Strokes is scheduled to be the main performer in the 2026 Coachella festival which will take place in a matter of days.
Before heading to the Indio desert, they first warmed up the engine through a warming concert in San Francisco and prepared a busy schedule at other festivals such as Outside Lands, Just Like Heaven, and Summer Sonic in Japan.
The creative process of "Reality Awaits" has actually been sniffed out since 2022. Rick Rubin, the producer who also handled the previous album, had leaked that they had completed the recording session in Costa Rica.
"It felt amazing. We did it every day, playing in the open air, and they didn't want to leave. It was the best experience," said Rubin.
Despite the back-and-forth statements, in which Julian Casablancas once said the new album was still "very far" from being finished two years ago, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. actually felt the band was at the peak of its creativity.
Hammond Jr. believes that their exploration with Rubin will result in something monumental for the history of The Strokes' discography.
"I think we haven't written our best songs. I really feel that in my gut," Hammond Jr. said.
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