Overview
- The Strokes issued their seventh studio album, Reality Awaits, in July 2026, and critics note it leans heavily on electronic textures and unconventional song structures rather than the band’s early garage-rock sound.
- Frontman Julian Casablancas uses noticeable vocal processing on many tracks while roughly half the album features unprocessed vocals, a choice that has divided longtime fans and reviewers.
- Guitarist Nick Valensi is not on the current tour and has been replaced onstage by longtime friend Steve Schiltz, with the band offering no official reason for Valensi’s absence and media outlets reporting unconfirmed speculation including a possible Gaza-related dispute.
- The group’s decision to close its Coachella set this year with a video accusing U.S. foreign-policy actions and alleging CIA activity drew public criticism and intensified scrutiny of the band’s recent messaging choices.
- Basic tracks were recorded with Rick Rubin in Costa Rica in 2022 and were developed internationally, and the band is promoting the album through live performances rather than traditional interviews while continuing to sell out venues, including fall dates in Germany.