Albert Hammond Jr.has shared an explanation for why the release ofThe Strokes’ new album ‘Reality Awaits’ has been delayed.
The New York indie icons have been preparing to release their seventhstudio album, with its original datehaving been setfor June 26. However, last week (June 11),the band announced that it had been pushed back to July 24, withoutproviding their reasoning. Pre-order the recordhere.
Now, guitarist Hammond has shed some light on the decision. In a since-deleted response to a fan on X, he explainedthat they decided toshift it four weeks laterbecause they wanted the streaming release date to match that of the vinyl release. In his comments, he also saidhe thinks the music on the album sounds like that made by a “weird, young band”.
Hammond has also released a new track with the indie rock artistKennyHoopla, titled ‘NEW AMERICA//’,a stomping, ‘00s dance punk-influenced track. Listen here:
Hammond’s comments on thenew musicecho what he said last month, whenhe referred to ‘Reality Awaits’ as his “favourite album” that The Strokes have ever made. “I can’t express how beautiful it is,” he said. “I listen to the whole thing and wanna start from the beginning again. It grows and grows and becomes intoxicatingly good.”
Those words followed somepushbackfrom Strokes fans to the early singles ‘Going Shopping’ and ‘Falling Out Of Love’, with some complaining aboutJulian Casablancas’ use ofvocoder .
NMEgave‘Going Shopping’ a three-star reviewand described it as a song that “doesn’t feel bold” but also “does avoid playing anything safe.”
“You couldn’t definitively place its sound on any of The Strokes’ previous six albums, but the lack of spirit and tenacity – save for a guitar solo at the end – is noticeable,” the review read. “‘Ifyou’rebetter than me youdon’thave to judge me’,signs off Casablancas, with an imaginary raised eyebrow. Butperhaps evenhe would admit that The Strokes are better than this.”
The Strokes have already played atCoachellaandBonnaroo, and havea huge tour to come that takes in the UK, North America, Europe and Japan. It will be their first full run of headline dates in the UK and Ireland in over 20 years, and it includes stops at London’s O2. Support will come from Thundercat,Cage the Elephant,Hamilton Leithauser,Fat White Family, Alex Cameron and ÖLÜM, andmore dates have been addeddue to huge demand.
They have also announceda huge New York show with Beach House, TV On The Radio and Fcukersat Flushing Meadows Corona Park on October 2.Find any remaining ticketshere.
All of these shows will see The Strokes perform without guitarist Nick Valensi, as the band confirmed recently that hewould be taking a “temporary break”from playing live.