The Strokes get weird on ‘Reality Awaits,’ Rolling Stone says
Jon Dolan’s review says the band’s seventh album has sharp guitar flashes, political barbs and plenty of Julian Casablancas detours.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Strokes are back with their seventh album, Reality Awaits, and Rolling Stone critic Jon Dolan says the New York band’s latest chapter is anything but a tidy victory lap.
In a review published July 23, Dolan describes the nine-song record as a strange, uneven entry in the group’s catalog: sometimes fun, sometimes hard to read, and sometimes openly odd. The verdict lands at a busy moment for the band, whose 2001 debut Is This It? turns 25 this year.
According to Rolling Stone, the band’s reputation in 2026 is riding high. Dolan points to the Strokes’ recent tour, described as their first in 20 years, and notes that the audience now spans generations. He also writes that the group’s current stature is not built on nostalgia alone, citing the 2020 album The New Abnormal and its breakout track “The Adults Are Talking,” which he says has reached a Spotify stream count comparable to “Last Nite.”
A strong legacy, a stranger record
Dolan frames Reality Awaits as arriving while many listeners still want the Strokes to deliver lean, instant rock songs. He cites a recent Irish Times headline asking whether Julian Casablancas and the band can “save rock & roll,” then argues that the new album sounds only partly interested in that mission.
The review is warmest when the band locks into the style that made them famous. Dolan praises “Going Shopping,” pointing to Fab Moretti’s tight drumming and the guitar interplay of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. He also highlights Casablancas’ political lines, including “Solidarity can be difficult when you’ve got cool stuff to lose” and “We’re building castles from the bones of dead trees.”
Rolling Stone also singles out “Going to Babble On” as a standout, with Dolan describing it as a fast-moving New Wave-style track capped by an Eighties-flavored guitar solo. “Lonely in the Future,” which opens with a hard-rock riff, is described as a catchy swipe at today’s hyper-online culture, with lyrics that refer to political commentator Chris Hedges and online music reviewer Anthony Fantano.
Casablancas’ experiments split the room
The less successful moments, in Dolan’s view, come when Casablancas pushes the Strokes closer to the more abstract sound of his other band, the Voidz. He points to opener “Psycho Shit,” which he says deals with predatory violence and carries apparent references to the war in Gaza and corporate imperialism.
Dolan is harsher on “Liar’s Remorse,” criticizing the song’s swing-ballad feel, a Caribbean-tinged vocal approach and a trumpet-like solo processed through effects. He also notes unusual vocal turns elsewhere, including a low delivery on “Falling Out of Love” and an English-accented performance on “Dine And Dash.”
The review says heavy vocal processing weighs down several slower songs. Dolan argues that “The Fruits of Conquest” has a promising Rolling Stones-style groove, though he says Casablancas’ theatrical vocal choices undercut it.
Comparing the album with The New Abnormal, Rolling Stone says the earlier record’s stranger corners were balanced by songs such as “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” and “Ode to the Mets.” On Reality Awaits, Dolan writes, the weaker stretches feel more sealed-off and showy in their eccentricity.
The album ends with “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon,” described in the review as a moody finale with a large prog-styled guitar solo. Dolan’s bottom line: the Strokes still have flashes of old magic, but Reality Awaits often wanders farther into oddity than momentum.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.