The Strokes: The New Abnormal Vinyl LP

Why you'll love it

The New Abnormal won the Grammy for Best Rock Album, the band's first-ever nomination and win, and critics called it a full-on return to form. Rick Rubin produced it at his Shangri-La studio in Malibu, and "The Adults Are Talking" is now one of their most-streamed songs ever.

This edition

Cult / RCA pressing (cat# 19439705881)
Cover art: Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Bird on Money"

About the album

Seven years is a long time between albums, especially for a band that defined an era with its first one. But the Strokes came back in 2020 sounding looser, warmer and more grown-up than anyone expected, and Rick Rubin caught it all on tape at Shangri-La in Malibu.

The New Abnormal has the scrappy guitar interplay you'd expect from Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi, but Julian Casablancas sounds like he's actually got something to say: the lyrics are wiser, the melodies bigger, and there's a bit of '80s synth shimmer running through "Bad Decisions" and "At the Door." It hit the Top 10 in the U.S. and the U.K., won a Grammy, and "The Adults Are Talking" became a whole new generation's gateway into the band. Welcome back, lads.

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