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If you do not know about the Strokes, then honestly, where have you been the past two decades? After half a decade, the Brooklyn-based band has come back with their most recent album, Reality Awaits, this summer. Across the album, their music becomes more electronic than it has ever been in the past, and one of the standout songs has to be “Lonely in the Future,” a track that sees Julian Casablancas position himself as the leader of pop culture.
Catch Up
“Lonely in the Future” stands as a reflection by Julian Casablancas and the rest of the Strokes on the state of not only pop culture, but also the music industry as a whole. They lament the recycling of fashion trends, music trends, and anything else that we continuously try to replicate year after year. At the same time, he points out that in the midst of this cultural reprocessing, Casablancas feels as if so many of the things that people copy and are calling new and original are his own ideas that he had years ago.
Outside of the callouts made by Casablancas, this song has an incredibly catchy beat. The chorus, similar to a lot of pop songs, ends on a really bright high note, which makes the song stick in your mind that much more. While controversial, the autotune used on Casablancas’ voice acts as an instrument on its own as it moves with the drums, guitar, and bass.
Five of Brooklyn’s Best
Over the course of their, at this point, legendary career, the Strokes have become one of the most well-known and influential bands of the 21st century. Their albums span from renowned hits like Is This It and The New Abnormal to their lesser-known classics like Comedown Machine. Across all of these works, what has remained true is their dedication to innovation in the field. What is interesting about them to me is that over the course of their albums, they have gotten increasingly more electronic with their sound.
The Strokes represent an era of music that we often think of as older, but in reality, they are a post-2000 band. Their music has been so timeless that for many, especially people around my age, they feel like they have been around forever.
What’s Next?
Unfortunately, the Strokes just wrapped up their North American leg of their Reality Awaits Tour. However, their discography is so varied and vast that there is an endless amount of their music for you to get lost in and enjoy.
