So it seems the rumors are true! The Strokes are back! After news broke recently that a radio station in Seattlehad been sent a new Strokes single, the band goes and drops a brand new song called “One Way Trigger“.
The track is definitely surprising; it begins with Julian Casablancas singing – or should I say crooning – in a very high pitch. At first I wasn’t even sure if I clicked on right track, but eventually we hear the Julian voice we’re all used to. The chorus is also in a very high register, which makes me wonder if this is Julian’s way of saying he’s gonna bring it on LP5?
Whatever the case may be, the song is definitely a keeper. It seems like a natural progression from some of the very upbeat and 80’s inspired tracks from the bands last album, ‘Angles’. There are a lot of bouncy and dance-y keyboards and synths and the drums jump along in the background. Even though it’s heavily synth-driven, we do get a nice little guitar solo about half-way through the song. It’s their little reminder to the fans that they’re still a rock band.
Lyrically, it’s definitely everything you would expect from a Strokes song. Julian usually brings semi-depressing (or entirely depressing) lyrics to the table and he does exactly that with this track. Here he’s singing about a troubled relationship and trying to cope with life’s demands. “Find a job, find a plan, find a home, find a dog/ Settle down, out of town / Find a dream, shut it down!” and “You ask me to stay, but there’s a million reasons to leave” paint his unrest and longing for something more rather nicely.
The Strokes are definitely back with a winner, bringing a song that is both a continuation from their last album but also introduces new things to the their repertoire. It will be interesting see how telling this is of the entire album. We should be hearing more music pretty soon, because the track that was mentioned previously was called, “All the Time”. Hopefully it drops soon because now that they’re back I am in full-force Strokes mode!
Condemn O.R. Condone 