Growing up, my music tastes have always continued to evolve. Spotify once called me a “music nomad”, and I have resonated with the term ever since. College was no exception, as going to university supplied me with incredible amounts of musical knowledge to alter my sonic palette. Even with my favorite genres, however, I never sat down and decided on my favorite band or musician… until the end of my second year of college. During my musical adventures, it was indie rock band “The Strokes” that climbed into my top 5 and eventually into the top spot of my favorite artists, and it all started because of an album that was released 5 years ago.
On April 10, 2020, the legendary rock band released their Grammy award winning album The New Abnormal. Ironically, the album has little to do with the COVID-19 pandemic and was released weeks after it began, but I feel like it best describes the self reflection and uncertainty that many people felt during this time. Furthermore, though I did not listen to it until nearly 3 years later, this album had a large impact on my music taste and my growth during my time at Loyola. The journey of The Strokes becoming my favorite band of all time started with this album.
Opening with one of the band’s most popular songs, “The Adults are Talking”, Julian Casablancas sings about clashing ideas and people in power, an idea that resonates with many ideas during my freshman year of college. The “adults” in this case are a subject of debate amongst fans, but many agree that this song is ultimately about political parties and how they are influenced. With 2020 being an election year and many people both looking forward to the possible end of the first Trump administration and wondering how the next administration would handle the pandemic, I, with many others, could not help but wonder if the interests of political parties were more important than the global issue at hand. Despite not listening to this album yet, many of the themes in this song I could certainly relate to during my first year of college. I carried these concerns with me throughout the pandemic and even to this day, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the relevancy of this song’s themes when I heard it for the first time in Spring of 2023. Of course, the lyrics themselves suggest this, but The Strokes are experts at telling stories through amazing sounds and instrumentals as well. One of my favorites is the literal guitar conversation between Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi. These two guitarists have had plenty of battles and harmonies throughout their time with the band, but this solo is so incredible and actually sounds like people talking. I have never thought that two political parties talking can be shown by two guitars, so I was pleasantly surprised to finally realize this fact upon my 35th relisten of the album.
Many songs on the album pay homage to classic rock, with “Bad Decisions” and “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” showing respect to rock n’ roll greats like Billy Idol and New Order while also reflecting on how the moodiness of rock music has evolved over the years. Songs like these begin to reflect some of my thoughts and feelings during my sophomore year. I think that, during my time at Loyola, my understanding of art matured and evolved as I grew into adulthood. I feel like I discovered these songs at the perfect time in both my academic and personal lives, as these songs were my first official introduction to the band despite me hearing many of their songs throughout my life.
Some of the later songs on the album really resonate with my feelings throughout my junior year. Of course, The Strokes will and have always been experimental and ahead of their time, with unique pieces like “At the Door” and “Eternal Summer” giving sonic experiences that maintain the band’s tendency for self reflection. In fact, self reflection is a key piece of this album’s lyrical content, with Julian Casablancas singing about getting old, climate change, relationship behavior and mistakes, personal flaws, and uncertainty of the future. Throughout my junior year, I found myself reflecting on my growth as a person and where I could have done things differently.
As a senior set to graduate in a month, I can still relate to the band’s knack for reflecting on the past in both positive and negative light; the final song on the album, “Ode to the Mets” ends the album on a note of uncertainty and hesitation. I am always seeking to be my best self, even if I tend to be incredibly hard on myself because of past mistakes. Furthermore, I often find myself thinking about the uncertain state of the world and what is yet to come.
While the moody ramblings of men in their 40s might not sound like the most relatable thing for someone in college, the songs on The New Abnormal are surprisingly in touch with the time of the album’s release and, even more surprisingly, the stage of life in which one goes through college. This album helped me through the experience of growing into my identity, losing and gaining friends and relationships, making a plan for my future, and learning to adapt to the world around me. In fact, I feel like the album’s themes have aged quite well considering what my generation is now going through in terms of growth and interaction with the world. The New Abnormal is not simply a middle finger to authority and the seemingly constant immaturity of adults. It challenges the idea of how adults display their personalities, encouraging us to look at how we truly feel about the world around us. How can we be better? How can we blend the lines between what we show others and how we behave on our own? Why are we afraid of doing so? In college, I made it my personal mission to “spread my wings.” To live as authentically as possible. As I graduate, I am entering a world where this is dangerous for me, and so I am given the option of living authentically at risk of judgement and hardship or hiding my true nature to conform to those around me.This struggle is illustrated perfectly on The New Abnormal, and it is what I relate to more than anything else.
Overall, The New Abnormal remains as a shining star in The Strokes’ history and an important piece of my own musical journey. Despite being the latest work in 25 years of musical creation, this album is a strong point and is still one of the best albums of the decade. While not my favorite album by the band, It is the first one I encountered and is responsible for connecting me to my favorite band of all time. Furthermore, it is a reminder of my journey throughout the past 4 years and my growth as a person, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
5/5 stars.
