The Strokes
Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi and Nikolai Fraiture are reuniting for a tour called Is This It Tour 2020. They announced it on Instagram.
They’ve been playing together since 2004, when they formed the band The Strokes. Their debut album First Impressions Of Earth came out in 2001. In 2017, they reunited for some live dates.
Casablancas recently told Rolling Stone he didn’t want to do another “Strokes” record because he wanted to explore different things. He added, “I’m just trying to make music I like.”
He’s also working on a solo album, which he says will be his final one.
History
Lead singer-songwriter Julian “Jules” Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., and drummer Fabrizio “Freddy” Moretti founded the Strokes in August 1997 in New York City. Their name came from a list of potential names that Casablancas compiled. They began performing live in early 1999, and recorded their debut album Is This It? in 2001. In 2002, they toured North America supporting Franz Ferdinand and played several festivals including Lollapalooza and Ozzfest.
In 2003, they signed with Mercury Records and released First Impressions Of Earth, which received positive reviews and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart. Their second studio album Room On Fire followed in 2005; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. In 2006, they released Comedown Machine, which reached number five on the Billboard 200 and produced three singles that topped the Alternative Songs chart. In 2007, they supported Kings of Leon on tour, and performed at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival. After recording sessions for their third album, Angles, broke down in 2008, the band went into hiatus.
During this time, Casablancas worked on his solo project Phrazes For The Young, which included contributions from members of The Strokes’ touring band. He also collaborated with producer Ryan Adams on the album Heartbreaker. In 2010, the band reunited for a performance at the Bamboozle festival, and announced plans for a reunion show at Madison Square Garden in 2011. A few days prior to the concert, however, Casablancas announced that he would no longer perform with the band due to creative differences.
After a few months, Casablancas stated that he was working on a new Strokes record. In December 2012, the band reconvened in Los Angeles to begin work on their fourth album. In January 2013, the band officially confirmed that they had completed recording and planned to release their next album in late 2013. During an interview in February 2013, Casablancas revealed that the band had been writing songs for their upcoming album since July 2012.
On April 8, 2013, the band released their fourth album, Comedown Machine Reissue, featuring reworked versions of some tracks from Comedown Machine along with three brand new songs. Two weeks later, the band released a music video for the song “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”, which premiered on Rolling Stone.
