The return of The Strokes

One of my favorite bands from high school, The Strokes, is poised to make one of the biggest returns of the year. The band released their last album, First Impressions of Earth, about five years ago. In the time since, every member except for Nick Valensi, has released solo work:

• Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young (2009)
• Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours to Keep (2006) & ¿Como Te Llama? (2008)
• Nicolai Fraiture - as Nickel Eye - The Time of the Assassins (2009)
• Fabrizio Moretti - as Little Joy - Little Joy (2008)

While all of these side projects have been pretty good (my favorite is Little Joy), none have captured what these guys have accomplished together. So, I was excited when it was announced that they would be releasing a new album, Angles, on March 22.



There's been a palpable amount of excitement around the Internet with every announcement the band made regarding the album. It seemed that every new announcement resulted in multiple stories being written by music blogs and publications; from the release date, to album artwork, to track listing, to the first single (below).

"Under Cover of Darkness"

There's an obvious push to make the return as big as possible with a show at Madison Square Garden on April 1st. The band will also be performing on Saturday Night Live tonight, so I will definitely be staying home and tuning into that.

Below, enjoy their first video for the new album, "Under Cover of Darkness"