When discussing the best The Strokes songs, you’re diving into a catalog that essentially rewrote the rules for indie rock in the 21st century. The New York quintet burst onto the scene in 2001 with “Is This It,” an album so immediately influential that its raw, garage-meets-new-wave sound became the blueprint for countless bands. Julian Casablancas’ distinctive distorted vocals, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr.’s intertwining guitar lines, Nikolai Fraiture’s steady bass grooves, and Fabrizio Moretti’s economical drumming created something that felt simultaneously retro and revolutionary. Their impact extends far beyond their commercial success—they made rock music feel dangerous and vital again when pop-punk and nu-metal dominated mainstream rock radio.
What makes The Strokes’ catalog so enduring is its consistency paired with genuine artistic growth. From the lo-fi perfection of their debut through the experimental textures of “Angles” and “Comedown Machine” to the Rick Rubin-produced renaissance of “The New Abnormal,” they’ve maintained their essential DNA while refusing to retread the same ground. These songs demand to be experienced through quality headphones where you can appreciate Gordon Raphael’s brilliant early production choices and the subtle sonic evolution across their discography.
Last Nite
The opening salvo of ringing guitar that launches “Last Nite” remains one of rock’s most instantly recognizable intros, a three-note descending pattern that hooks you before Casablancas even opens his mouth. Produced by Gordon Raphael and released on “Is This It” in 2001, this track crystallized everything The Strokes represented—economical songwriting, interlocking guitars creating melodic counterpoint, and vocals drenched in enough distortion to sound simultaneously intimate and distant. The song’s chord progression openly borrows from Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” but The Strokes transform it into something entirely their own through sheer attitude and execution. The way Valensi and Hammond’s guitars dance around each other during the verses demonstrates the telepathic musical relationship that defined their early sound, while Casablancas delivers lyrics about relationship dysfunction with detached cool that became his signature.
Someday
“Someday” showcases The Strokes at their most optimistic, with a buoyant rhythm section and one of Casablancas’ most earnest vocal performances. The production here demonstrates Raphael’s genius—everything sounds slightly blown-out and compressed, creating a cohesive sonic texture where instruments blur together while remaining distinct. Hammond’s guitar work during the pre-chorus builds tension beautifully, using repetitive ascending phrases that make the chorus release feel inevitable and satisfying. The lyrics about young love and possibility strike a perfect balance between cynicism and romanticism, with Casablancas admitting vulnerability while maintaining his cool-guy facade. This track became a staple of their live shows, often extended with jammy outros that revealed the band’s improvisational chemistry beyond their tightly constructed studio recordings.
Reptilia
Opening “Room on Fire” with a double-time assault, “Reptilia” finds The Strokes pushing their sound harder and faster without abandoning their melodic sensibilities. The production, again handled by Raphael, maintains the compressed aesthetic of their debut while allowing more dynamic range during the explosive chorus sections. The song’s structure is deceptively complex—shifting between half-time verses and double-time choruses, with a bridge section that strips everything back to showcase Casablancas’ increasingly confident vocal melodies. Lyrically, it addresses the invasiveness of fame and media attention with serpentine imagery, delivered with urgency that matches the musical intensity. The guitar interplay reaches new heights here, with Hammond and Valensi creating interlocking parts that sound simultaneously chaotic and precisely arranged, a controlled explosion of sound that influenced countless garage rock revivalists.
Hard to Explain
This lead single from “Is This It” perfectly encapsulates the band’s ability to make complexity sound effortless, with deceptively intricate guitar parts that create an irresistible forward momentum. The rhythm section locks into a groove that’s simultaneously laid-back and propulsive, with Moretti’s drumming providing just enough syncopation to keep things interesting without overplaying. Casablancas’ lyrics embrace ambiguity, the title itself acknowledging the difficulty of articulating complex emotional states, which resonated with a generation raised on irony and emotional distance. The song’s bridge features one of Hammond’s most memorable guitar moments—a ascending melodic line that’s become a signature riff in their catalog. When experienced through quality earbuds, you can appreciate how Raphael balanced all five instruments in the mix, creating space for each element while maintaining that crucial sense of density and urgency.
12:51
“Room on Fire’s” most radio-friendly moment, “12:51” features one of The Strokes’ catchiest choruses built around a deceptively simple descending bass line from Fraiture. The song demonstrates the band’s continued refinement of their formula—maintaining the raw energy while improving their craft as songwriters and arrangers. The production here shows subtle evolution from their debut, with slightly cleaner guitar tones and more defined separation between instruments, though still maintaining that characteristic compressed aesthetic. Casablancas’ vocal melody during the verses showcases his growth as a melodist, navigating unusual intervals while remaining supremely singable. The guitar solo—brief, economical, and perfectly placed—exemplifies the band’s less-is-more philosophy, providing a moment of release without indulging in rock-star excess.
You Only Live Once
The opening track from “First Impressions of Earth” marked a deliberate departure, with David Kahne’s cleaner production and more spacious arrangements signaling the band’s ambition to evolve beyond their garage rock origins. The song builds gradually, starting with isolated guitar and vocals before the full band enters, demonstrating newfound patience and dynamic range. Hammond’s guitar work here incorporates more textural playing—using effects and sustained notes to create atmosphere rather than just rhythmic drive. Lyrically, Casablancas addresses mortality and purpose with uncharacteristic directness, the titular phrase serving as both carpe diem encouragement and existential observation. The chorus explodes with layered guitars and urgent drumming, proving the band could achieve anthemic scale without sacrificing their essential identity.
Juicebox
Few Strokes songs hit as hard as “Juicebox,” which opens with a distorted guitar riff that sounds like it’s being played through a blown speaker, immediately announcing that “First Impressions of Earth” would challenge expectations. The song’s aggressive energy and unusual structure—with its stop-start dynamics and unconventional chord progressions—divided fans initially but revealed itself as one of their most innovative tracks. Kahne’s production embraces distortion and sonic roughness in ways that paradoxically sound more deliberate than Raphael’s lo-fi approach, creating controlled chaos. Casablancas’ vocals push into his upper register during the chorus, adding desperation to lyrics about desire and consumption. The rhythm section demonstrates increasing sophistication here, with Moretti’s drum patterns incorporating more complex fills while maintaining driving momentum.
The Modern Age
The song that started everything, “The Modern Age” appeared on their debut EP before being refined for “Is This It,” introducing the world to The Strokes’ aesthetic fully formed. The song’s perpetual motion guitar work creates tension that never quite resolves, mirroring the lyrical themes about contemporary alienation and uncertainty. Casablancas’ delivery here established his vocal persona—coolly detached yet somehow emotionally resonant, like he’s observing his own life from a distance. The production captures the band at their rawest, with instruments bleeding into each other in ways that sound organic rather than sloppy. This track remains a live favorite, often serving as set opener where its insistent energy immediately establishes connection with audiences who recognize those opening guitar chords instantly.
Ode to the Mets
After years of experimentation, The Strokes returned to form with “The New Abnormal,” and “Ode to the Mets” serves as its epic closing statement. Running over five minutes—lengthy by their standards—the song builds patiently, with Rick Rubin’s production providing expansive sonic space the band hadn’t previously explored. The track incorporates synthesizers and atmospheric textures that reference ’80s new wave while maintaining The Strokes’ essential DNA, demonstrating how they could evolve without abandoning their identity. Casablancas’ lyrics reflect on the band’s journey with unusual vulnerability, acknowledging mistakes and expressing gratitude in ways his earlier detached persona never would have allowed. The extended outro, featuring soaring guitar lines over pulsing synths, provides the kind of emotional release rare in their catalog, suggesting a band that’s made peace with their past while remaining vital in the present.
Barely Legal
“Is This It’s” deepest cut demonstrates The Strokes’ range even on their debut, with a slower tempo and more prominent bass line creating a groovier feel than their typical urgent assault. The song’s lyrical content—allegedly about underage attraction—pushes boundaries in ways that might not age perfectly, but the musical execution remains impeccable. Valensi’s guitar work during the verses uses syncopated rhythmic patterns that lock perfectly with Fraiture’s bass, creating pockets of space where Casablancas’ vocals sit comfortably. The chorus maintains the band’s knack for immediately memorable melodic hooks, with layered guitars creating a wall of sound that still sounds clear rather than muddy thanks to Raphael’s mixing. This track rewards repeated listening, revealing subtle production details and instrumental interplay that aren’t immediately apparent on casual spins.
Under Cover of Darkness
“Angles” opened with “Under Cover of Darkness,” signaling that despite lineup tensions and extended hiatus, The Strokes could still craft immediate, joyous rock songs. The track’s buoyant energy and relatively straightforward structure made it their most radio-ready song in years, though the production—handled by the band themselves alongside collaborators—maintains enough edge to avoid feeling like a calculated comeback single. Hammond’s guitar solo here ranks among his most melodic and memorable, a fully developed musical statement rather than mere technical display. Casablancas’ vocals sound rejuvenated, tackling the melody with confidence while delivering lyrics about relationship uncertainty with his characteristic oblique poetry. The rhythm section drives with precision, Moretti’s drums particularly animated with fills that punctuate transitions perfectly.
The Adults Are Talking
“The New Abnormal’s” opening track immediately established that The Strokes’ comeback was no nostalgia trip, with a propulsive rhythm and guitar interplay that recalled their classic sound while incorporating newfound sophistication. Rubin’s production finds the sweet spot between their raw early albums and their experimental middle period, with each instrument occupying its own space while maintaining cohesive ensemble sound. The guitars create a perpetual motion machine, interlocking rhythmic patterns that never rest, while Casablancas delivers conversational lyrics about communication breakdown and generational divide. The song’s extended instrumental outro—rare in their catalog—features one of their most sustained grooves, the band locking in with confidence that comes from two decades of playing together. This track proved The Strokes could still sound essential in 2020, competing with contemporary indie and alternative rock rather than merely serving nostalgia for their early-2000s peak.
Taken for a Fool
“Angles” yielded this standout track featuring some of Hammond’s most inventive guitar work, with arpeggiated patterns creating melodic complexity beneath Casablancas’ vocal melodies. The song demonstrates the band embracing ’80s new wave influences more directly than before, with shimmering guitar tones and propulsive drums that recall The Cars and other power-pop pioneers. Lyrically, Casablancas addresses romantic disappointment with more emotional directness than his earlier work, though maintaining enough poetic distance to avoid sentimentality. The production incorporates subtle keyboard textures that add depth without overwhelming the core guitar-bass-drums arrangement, showing the band’s willingness to expand their sonic palette. The track’s bridge features a tempo shift that creates breathing space before building back to the infectious chorus, demonstrating sophisticated compositional thinking.
Is This It
The title track from their debut album might be their most perfectly realized song—economical, melodic, and emotionally resonant despite surface detachment. The guitar work creates a hypnotic loop that repeats throughout, variations introduced so subtly that the song maintains consistency while never feeling static. Casablancas’ vocals here sound particularly intimate, his distorted delivery creating conversational quality like he’s confiding directly to the listener. The lyrics pose existential questions about fulfillment and purpose with teenage wisdom that’s simultaneously naive and profound, capturing a specific moment in youth where everything feels simultaneously meaningful and pointless. Raphael’s production makes brilliant use of negative space here, allowing silence and restraint to contribute as much as the actual notes played, a lesson many producers should study.
Automatic Stop
“Room on Fire’s” third track showcases The Strokes’ rhythmic sophistication, with a verse section built around unconventional drum patterns that still groove despite their complexity. The song’s structure keeps listeners slightly off-balance—verse sections that feel like pre-choruses, a bridge that arrives unexpectedly—yet everything flows naturally rather than feeling forced or academic. Hammond and Valensi’s guitar interplay reaches peak performance here, their parts so perfectly complementary that separating their individual contributions becomes nearly impossible. Casablancas delivers lyrics about emotional guardedness and the difficulty of vulnerability with appropriate detachment, his vocal melody navigating tricky intervals with apparent ease. The production maintains “Room on Fire’s” characteristic density while allowing individual elements moments to breathe, particularly during the stripped-down bridge section.
Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus
“The New Abnormal” features this track with its infectious keyboard hook and one of Casablancas’ most radio-friendly melodies in years. The song demonstrates how The Strokes successfully integrated synthesizers into their sound, the electronic elements enhancing rather than replacing their guitar-driven foundation. Rubin’s production allows the synths to occupy the high end while guitars provide rhythmic drive in the midrange, creating frequency balance that sounds full without muddiness. The lyrics play with the titular phrase, using the Brooklyn Bridge as metaphor for transition and movement while making knowing reference to song structure terminology. Hammond’s guitar solo, brief but memorable, demonstrates continued growth as a lead player, incorporating melodic ideas that complement the song rather than just showing technical facility. This track became a fan favorite from “The New Abnormal,” proving the band could write hooks as immediate as their early work while sounding contemporary rather than dated.
Meet Me in the Bathroom
This deep cut from “Room on Fire” features some of the album’s most interesting guitar textures, with Valensi and Hammond creating atmospheric soundscapes using effects and unconventional playing techniques. The song’s slower tempo allows space for nuanced dynamics, the band demonstrating they didn’t need constant urgency to maintain listener engagement. Casablancas’ lyrics paint vivid scenes of nightlife and its aftermath, capturing specific details that make abstract emotions feel concrete and relatable. The production here shows Raphael at his most creative, using studio effects to enhance the song’s hazy, late-night atmosphere without overwhelming the core performances. Moretti’s drumming demonstrates particular restraint and musicality, serving the song’s mood with carefully chosen fills and dynamic variation. This track rewards attentive listening, revealing layers and details that aren’t immediately apparent but enrich repeated experiences.
Heart in a Cage
“First Impressions of Earth” features this track with one of their most propulsive rhythms, the song built around Fraiture’s driving bass line and Moretti’s insistent drum pattern. The guitars create textural layers rather than distinct melodic lines, showing the band’s willingness to explore different approaches to their instrumental interplay. Casablancas’ vocal melody here is particularly strong, navigating wide intervals in the chorus that create dramatic effect while remaining singable. Kahne’s production emphasizes the rhythm section more than previous Strokes albums, placing bass and drums prominently in the mix while guitars provide supporting texture. The song’s bridge features brief respite from the relentless forward motion, a momentary breathing space before the final chorus hits. This track became a live staple, its driving energy translating particularly well to concert settings where the band could stretch it out and build audience participation.
Trying Your Luck
One of “Is This It’s” most vulnerable moments, “Trying Your Luck” strips back the usual urgency to create space for genuine emotional expression. The guitars maintain their interplay but with more restraint, allowing melodic ideas room to develop rather than competing for sonic space. Casablancas delivers perhaps his most heartfelt vocal performance on the album, the lyrics about relationship uncertainty feeling genuinely personal rather than affected. Raphael’s production here demonstrates his understanding of dynamics, keeping the overall sonic aesthetic consistent with the album while allowing this track its own emotional temperature. The song’s structure avoids traditional verse-chorus patterns, instead building gradually through repetition and slight variation, creating hypnotic effect. This track often gets overlooked in favor of the album’s more immediate songs but represents some of their finest songwriting, proving they could do subtlety without sacrificing their identity.
Selfless
“The New Abnormal” features this track with perhaps Casablancas’ most unguarded lyrics, the song addressing self-sacrifice and relationship dynamics with unusual directness. The arrangement incorporates lush synthesizer textures that create dreamy atmosphere while guitars provide grounding, showing successful integration of new elements into classic Strokes sound. Rubin’s production allows the song breathing space unusual in their catalog, with genuine silence and negative space contributing to the overall impact. The rhythm section plays with remarkable restraint here, Moretti’s drums and Fraiture’s bass providing foundation without overwhelming the song’s delicate emotional balance. Hammond’s guitar work uses sustained notes and effects to create atmosphere rather than rhythmic drive, demonstrating his continued growth as a textural player. This track represents The Strokes at their most mature, confident enough in their identity to embrace vulnerability and sonic experimentation simultaneously.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Strokes’ most popular song?
“Last Nite” remains The Strokes’ most recognizable and streamed song, having achieved over 500 million plays on Spotify alone. Released as the second single from their debut album “Is This It” in 2001, the track captured everything that made the band revolutionary—economical songwriting, interlocking guitars, and Julian Casablancas’ distinctively distorted vocals creating a sound that felt simultaneously retro and completely fresh. The song’s immediate accessibility, built around that unforgettable three-note guitar intro, helped introduce the band to mainstream audiences while maintaining enough edge to satisfy indie rock purists. Its influence extends far beyond chart performance, essentially providing the sonic blueprint for the garage rock revival of the early 2000s and inspiring countless bands to pick up guitars and embrace raw, unpolished production aesthetics.
Who produced The Strokes’ early albums?
Gordon Raphael produced The Strokes’ first two albums—”Is This It” (2001) and “Room on Fire” (2003)—creating the compressed, lo-fi aesthetic that became synonymous with their sound and the garage rock revival generally. Raphael’s production philosophy emphasized capturing raw energy over technical perfection, using vintage equipment and deliberately blown-out mixing techniques that made the songs sound like they were recorded in a basement despite being made in professional studios. His approach was revolutionary for the time, actively rejecting the polished, highly produced sound dominating mainstream rock in favor of something immediate and visceral. The band’s later albums explored different production approaches—David Kahne handled “First Impressions of Earth” (2006), the band self-produced much of “Angles” (2011) and “Comedown Machine” (2013), and Rick Rubin produced “The New Abnormal” (2020), each bringing distinct sonic qualities while maintaining The Strokes’ essential identity.
What genre are The Strokes?
The Strokes are primarily classified as indie rock, garage rock revival, and post-punk revival, though their sound incorporates elements from new wave, punk rock, and classic rock and roll. Their music emerged during the early 2000s as part of a movement that rejected the polished production and earnestness of late-90s rock in favor of raw energy and cool detachment reminiscent of 1970s New York punk and CBGB-era bands like Television and Richard Hell and the Voidoids. The band’s guitar-driven sound features interweaving guitar parts, steady bass grooves, economical drumming, and Casablancas’ distinctively processed vocals creating a cohesive aesthetic that influenced an entire generation of indie and alternative rock bands. As their career progressed, they incorporated synthesizers, experimental song structures, and various production approaches while maintaining their core identity as a guitar-based rock band prioritizing songcraft and sonic cohesion.
How did The Strokes influence modern rock?
The Strokes’ influence on modern rock cannot be overstated—their 2001 debut “Is This It” single-handedly revitalized guitar-based rock music at a time when pop, hip-hop, and nu-metal dominated mainstream charts. They demonstrated that raw, stripped-down rock music could achieve both critical acclaim and commercial success without compromise, inspiring countless bands to embrace garage rock aesthetics and punk-influenced songwriting. Their impact extended beyond sound to fashion and attitude—tight jeans, leather jackets, vintage equipment, and cool detachment became the indie rock uniform for the 2000s. Bands like Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and The Libertines either emerged alongside or directly in The Strokes’ wake, creating a thriving indie rock scene that dominated alternative music throughout the decade. Even today, new bands cite The Strokes as primary influences, and their songs remain staples on alternative radio despite being over two decades old.
What makes The Strokes’ guitar work distinctive?
The Strokes’ guitar work, primarily the interplay between Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., creates their signature sound through interlocking parts that function as a unified whole rather than traditional rhythm-lead divisions. Both guitarists play complementary melodic lines that weave around each other, creating rhythmic and harmonic complexity while maintaining overall simplicity and accessibility—neither plays typical power chords or extended solos, instead crafting parts where the interaction creates the magic. Their approach draws heavily from Television, The Velvet Underground, and other CBGB-era bands where guitars created textural atmospheres and contrapuntal melodies rather than just providing chordal backing or shredding solos. The tones they achieve—often slightly dirty, always compressed, favoring vintage amplifiers and minimal effects—contribute significantly to The Strokes’ sonic identity, their guitars sounding like they’re all occupying the same frequency range yet remaining distinct. This approach influenced how countless indie rock bands conceptualize guitar parts, moving away from the lead-rhythm dichotomy toward more democratic, ensemble-focused arrangements.
Has The Strokes’ sound evolved over their career?
The Strokes’ sound has evolved significantly across their six studio albums while maintaining essential elements that make them immediately recognizable. Their first two albums featured Gordon Raphael’s compressed, lo-fi production and tightly wound song structures that defined the garage rock revival, while “First Impressions of Earth” introduced cleaner production, longer songs, and more experimental arrangements that divided fans initially. “Angles” and “Comedown Machine” saw the band incorporating synthesizers, varied tempos, and unusual song structures that moved beyond their comfort zone, sometimes successfully and sometimes alienating listeners who wanted “Is This It Part 5.” “The New Abnormal,” produced by Rick Rubin and released after a seven-year absence, synthesized their classic sound with newfound maturity and sonic sophistication, incorporating keyboards and production polish while recapturing the energy and immediacy of their early work. Throughout these evolutions, Julian Casablancas’ distinctive vocals, the dual-guitar interplay, and their commitment to strong melodies and economical songwriting have remained constant, allowing experimentation without complete abandonment of their identity.