For many, The Strokes’s 2001 album ‘Is This It’ marks the
pinnacle of 00’s indie rock. Most recently,
the band released ‘Angles’ in 2011 which modernised their sound, but largely
saw the band on autopilot. Guitarist
Nick Valensi even offered that making ‘Angles’ “was just awful”.
So why return? 2013
will see the release of a new album in March, ‘Comedown Machine’ (pictured), from which One Way Trigger is taken. It certainly marks a departure for the
band. If anything, it sounds like a more
frenzied version of A-Ha’s Take On Me,
with its spiky synth melodies and frontman Julian Casablancas’s emphasis on
falsetto. It lends the track a poppier
feel which could see them back in the mainstream.
Yet, whilst it undeniably feels like a Strokes track, you
can’t help but feel the band are losing their way. Where ‘Is This It’ felt effortlessly cool, One Way Trigger is a forced effort from
the band to stay relevant. It’s not an
utter travesty, but it’s far from their best.
2/5
Listen: ‘Comedown Machine’ is released on March 25th.
