It’s a new Strokes single. And it clearly attempts to play the audience, coming on a little too strong, full of the impulses of old pals trying to pack all the everything in all at once and remind you why we were once close: it’s been some years, here’s the highlight reel of what you liked PLUS it’s a little faster and there’s more high twiddly notes. Except, there’s no way around it…
This tune is kinda weird. It aims for instant recognition but doesn’t quite work, and therefore it’s actually really interesting.
I’ve now listened to it a dozen-odd times, trying to figure out why such a carefully calculated product makes me care and want to talk about it. And I think it’s that this band is just too skilled and too messed-up to make something sincerely bland. Julian Casablancas is a great rock vocalist, shredding his throat just enough at the right moments, then acting blasé, then investing just enough raw emotion in the words to keep everyone listening. Lyrically, it’s a kiss-off to someone or something or everything, wordy without making much sense, vague and referential and self-mocking. The band sounds like a bunch of guys playing slightly different ideas of good pop at the same time. The lead guitar is not only counterpoint, but slightly off-key, distorted and scratching at the edges of the song. There’s a weird bird whistle noise at 2:43 in. The rhythm is choppy and not quite as danceable as it aims for. Everything is mixed oddly, harsh and shallow like it’s made to be played as a hyper-compressed mp3, broadcast over AM radio, then listened to on tiny speakers while going over Niagra Falls in a barrel, just in case any midrange sound still survived. The solo sounds like somebody fell asleep while playing it and barely woke up in time to find the last few notes. The bassline goes between swinging along nicely and running up and down for no reason. It’s all too busy, a weird herky-jerky tune of stop-start and sudden acceleration.
All these details could be easily fixed, but instead they’re left in to clatter around and push at the edges; somehow, it only enhances the despite-itself charm of the song… And then, right at the end, twenty-five seconds left, everything finally falls into place: a push of vocals and instruments and backing vocals working in sync to make ONE HUGE SOUND as they cross the finish line.
So yeah, it’s a hugely flawed song. And after listening on repeat for a while, I love it. It’s fun, it’s rough, and it’s really encouraging that these guys still have enough bad ideas that they can make music worth listening to.