The Strokes

By infusing rock music with flair, energy, and memorable melodies, the Strokes rose to prominence as one of the most impactful groups of the 2000s. Their straightforward, melody-driven approach—drawing from songcraft pioneers such as Buddy Holly while channeling the defiant edge of New York contemporaries the Velvet Underground and Ramones—forged new directions even while nodding to rock's past. The quintet's praised 2001 debut Is This It revived an alternative scene long preoccupied with post-grunge and nu-metal. Joining forces with the White Stripes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they defined the sonic and visual identity of 2000s alternative rock, an influence mirrored by Kings of Leon, the Killers, and the Libertines in the U.S. and by Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys in the U.K. As the 2000s progressed, the Strokes expanded their minimalist foundation with new wave and synth-pop touches on 2003's Room on Fire and the expansive 2006 release First Impressions of Earth, a direction they pursued further on 2013's Comedown Machine. After devoting much of the 2010s to separate endeavors, they resurfaced with some of their most fervent recordings on 2020's The New Abnormal.

The band's origins trace to the late 1990s. Singer/songwriter Julian Casablancas (son of Elite Model Agency Group founder John Casablancas), drummer Fabrizio Moretti (who took up drums at age five), and guitarist Nick Valensi began collaborating in 1997 while enrolled at Manhattan's Dwight School. They soon recruited bassist Nikolai Fraiture, a student at the Upper East Side's Lycée Français. Early inspirations for the unnamed group encompassed the Doors, Bob Marley, the Velvet Underground, and Jane's Addiction. In 1998 guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. (son of singer/songwriter Albert Hammond, whose catalog includes "It Never Rains in Southern California," "When I Need You," and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before") arrived from Los Angeles to study film at NYU and joined after reconnecting with Casablancas, whom he had met years earlier at L'Institut le Rosey in Switzerland.

With Hammond, Jr. aboard, the group's sound crystallized around punk, new wave, and garage influences, prompting Casablancas to name the five-piece the Strokes in 1999. Most of that year was spent composing and rehearsing at New York City's Music Building. Their debut performance occurred at the Spiral, and growing buzz around the Strokes' explosive stage presence secured shows at Under the Acme plus Lower East Side venues including Arlene Grocery, Baby Jupiter, and Luna. December 2000 appearances at the Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom secured management with Ryan Gentles—who had booked those concerts—and intensified local fervor.

Gordon Raphael was enlisted to capture their three-song demo, initiating an enduring collaboration. Rough Trade issued the demo as The Modern Age EP in January 2001, triggering a bidding war ultimately won by RCA. Acclaim simultaneously swelled in the U.K., where singles such as "Hard to Explain" (which entered the U.K. charts at number 16) cultivated an ardent following; a side-stage NME Carling Weekender appearance was upgraded to the main stage to avert crowd safety issues.

Initial recording sessions for the debut album involved Gil Norton, yet creative divergences led the band back to Raphael. At the East Village's Transporterraum studio, the pair tracked Is This It across March and April 2001, employing a compressed, roots-oriented aesthetic reminiscent of techniques favored by the Velvet Underground and Ramones. Issued in Australia in July 2001 and the U.K. the following month, the album originally bore a Helmut Newton-style image of a woman's nude lower back and hip beneath a leather-gloved hand; U.K. retailers Woolworths and HMV flagged the artwork yet continued sales.

The North American edition surfaced in October 2001 with modifications: the Strokes substituted a photograph of particle collisions inside the Big European Bubble Chamber for the cover and excised "New York City Cops," deeming it unsuitable after the terrorist attacks on New York, replacing it with the planned B-side "When It Started." Is This It garnered broad praise and robust sales, peaking at number two on the U.K. Albums Chart and number 33 on the Billboard 200. It later attained platinum certification in the U.S., U.K., Japan, Canada, and Australia while yielding hit singles "Last Nite" and "Someday."

The band's visibility climbed through late 2001 and 2002. Recognition arrived via This Isn't It—an EP of instrumental interpretations performed by a mystery act called the Diff'rent Strokes—alongside 2001 NME Carling Awards for Best New Act, Band of the Year, and Album of the Year. Additional honors included a Brit Award for Best International Newcomer and a nomination for Best International Group. Extensive 2002 touring encompassed summer dates in New York and Detroit alongside the White Stripes plus festival appearances at Reading and Leeds; shows opening for the Rolling Stones also introduced new material such as "Meet Me in the Bathroom," "You Talk Way Too Much," and "The Way It Is."

Following the conclusion of 2002 commitments, work commenced on the follow-up. Early sessions with Nigel Godrich gave way to a May 2003 reunion with Raphael. Completed in three months, Room on Fire emerged in October 2003 showcasing a refined palette that highlighted new wave facets. Building on prior success, it reached number four on the Billboard 200 and number two on the U.K. Album Charts, earning gold status domestically and platinum certification in the U.K. and Australia.

The Strokes spent much of 2004 on the road before reconvening in early 2005. After initial work again with Raphael, they finished the album with Grammy-winning producer David Kahne. Led by the grunge-tinged single "Juicebox," a Top Ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic, First Impressions of Earth arrived in January 2006. More exploratory and wide-ranging than its predecessors, it became the band's first U.K. number-one album and entered the Top Five in Canada and the U.S.

With the tour concluded, the group entered hiatus, each member pursuing outside ventures. Hammond, Jr. led the way with the solo album Yours to Keep, released in the U.K. in late 2006 and the U.S. in early 2007, followed by 2008's Como Te Llama? Moretti joined indie-pop outfit Little Joy, whose self-titled record appeared in late 2008. Fraiture launched the folk-leaning Nickel Eye project, issuing Time of the Assassins in early 2009. Casablancas contributed Casio guitar to "Sick, Sick, Sick" from Queens of the Stone Age's 2007 album Era Vulgaris, collaborated with Santigold and Pharrell on "My Drive Thru" for a 2008 Converse campaign, and recorded with the Lonely Island, Danger Mouse, and Sparklehorse.

In early 2009 Casablancas and Valensi initiated work on a fourth album. Slow progress prompted Casablancas to issue his solo debut Phrazes for the Young in October. 2010 saw initial collaboration with Joe Chiccarelli before the bulk of what became Angles was tracked with producer and engineer Gus Oberg at Hammond, Jr.'s home studio. Released in March 2011, the album drew from MGMT, Crystal Castles, and other synth-driven acts and, for the first time, incorporated backing vocals. Angles reached the Top Five in the U.S. and U.K. and became the band's first Australian chart-topper; lead single "Under Cover of Darkness" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

Unlike the protracted creation of Angles, the fifth album was begun in 2012. Reuniting with Oberg—this time at Manhattan's Electric Lady studio—the group extended the collaborative writing approach on March 2013's Comedown Machine, a leaner, more restrained effort. Members then focused on separate projects: Casablancas formed the Voidz, whose politically charged debut Tyranny arrived in 2014; that year Valensi appeared on Brody Dalle's Diploid Love, while Hammond, Jr. released his third solo set Momentary Masters in 2015. The Strokes reconvened in 2016 for live dates and Future Present Past, their first EP in 15 years and first on Casablancas' Cult Records. Valensi's band CRX also issued debut album New Skin that year.

Alongside festival appearances, the band began developing a sixth album with Rick Rubin in 2017. While recording continued, Casablancas and the Voidz delivered Virtue in 2018, and Hammond, Jr. released the Oberg-produced Francis Trouble. Following performances including a 2019 New Year's Eve show in Brooklyn and a February 2020 rally for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, The New Abnormal emerged in 2020, bringing a more introspective and confessional dimension to the Strokes' sound. Recorded in California and Hawaii, the album achieved both critical and commercial success, entering the Top Ten in multiple territories including the U.S. and U.K. In 2021 it received the Grammy for Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. February 2023 saw the release of The Singles, Vol. 1, a compilation of singles and B-sides from the band's first three albums.