The Strokes
– Is This It
Is This It reminded us the rock and roll could still sound cool slouching in the corner, sneering through a cigarette haze, and pretending not to care. The Strokes walked in like they’d been there forever and didn’t bother asking permission. That opening drum machine thud and low-slung bass line? A mission statement carved with a boxcutter—minimal, catchy, and just a little bit bored.
Best of…
Julian Casablancas sounds like he’s trapped inside a vintage mic with a hangover, which suits the lyrics just fine. Love, lust, malaise, disappointment—they’re all brushed off with equal shrugs. The guitars (Valensi and Hammond Jr.) trade tight riffs like cigarettes in detention, and Fab Moretti’s drumming skips flash in favor of function: always driving, never dragging.
There’s a deceptive precision to the whole thing. Sure, it sounds like a bunch of downtown kids stumbled into greatness by accident, but that’s the trick. Every snare hit, every sneer, every slurred harmony is locked in. They weren’t reinventing anything—they were just cutting away the fat. And in a year bloated with nu-metal angst and pop-punk overproduction, Is This It was a lean, cocky punch in the teeth.
Choice Tracks
Is This It
A slow-burn opener that barely breaks a sweat. The bassline does all the heavy lifting while Julian mumbles existential frustration with the detached grace of someone who’s already moved on. Understated, but hypnotic.
The Modern Age
This is where the engine revs. Quick, taut, and twitchy, it’s a garage rock sprint that feels like it’s trying to outrun itself. The guitars chime like busted neon signs, and the whole thing sounds like it could fall apart at any second—gloriously.
Someday
Jangly, nostalgic, and undeniably catchy. Casablancas shrugs through relationship postmortems like he’s reading old postcards. It’s sad and sweet without ever getting sappy, like a drunk hug at a party you’re about to leave.
Hard to Explain
Robotic and romantic, this one’s all angles and aloofness. Synthy guitar textures collide with lyrics that don’t quite line up—but that’s the charm. It’s emotional detachment disguised as vulnerability, or maybe vice versa.
Last Nite
Yes, the riff owes a debt to Tom Petty. No, it doesn’t matter. This is the band’s signature track for a reason: shout-along chorus, slacker charisma, and a melody that’s practically tattooed onto the early 2000s.
Is This It didn’t need to scream to be heard. It just turned down the volume and leaned in, daring you to get closer. Sometimes the best way to be loud is to be cool.