The New Abnormal by the Strokes is their 6th studio album, released in 2020. To those who do not know The Strokes, The Strokes are an American rock band who you probably know from their songs “Late Nite”, “The Adults Are Talking”, and “Someday”. From start to finish the New Abnormal brings a sense of nostalgia, warmth, and youthfulness to the table that reflects the world around us. Some of my favorite songs from this album are, The Adults Are Talking, Not The Same Anymore, Selfless, Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus, and Ode To The Mets.
The Adults Are Talking
The instrumental itself is lively, upbeat, but also captivating, but when you take the time to truly dissect the song itself its clear to see its very powerful. From the title itself one can assume the song is about rebelling to those above you, but I would also like to assume that its about feeling inexperienced in a world in which you are swept under the carpet. Trying to get your ideas and words out in a place where your ideas are not appreciated and given the time of day. This song is one of the main reasons I would argue the album itself is youthful, I think that most youth nowadays has had at least one time in which their voice had not been heard because of your age. Which is where I reached my conclusion with this song. But, overall I loved the song. It is really an earworm, the lyrics are catchy and is a great first song on the album.
Selfless
Selfless is a song that I think really packs a punch. It brings a youthful love kind of vibe, the complications that come with teenage love, the more cinematic rush and dependency in the story the lyrics bring to life, are impactful. The song really is just about putting all yourself into a relationship, it is a selfless love because you put all of yourself into one person until there is nothing left of you, is what this song is trying to say. Again the instrumental is great and I think it flows well with the previous song.
Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus
The first time I listened to Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus it was so out of place to me, but as with most songs when you listen to the lyrics you understand the reasoning and how it flows and really feeds off the other songs. If I had to describe this song I would say it’s like a crisis you have in your room at 3am about friends and people. I would say it’s about a circular movement that most friendships and relationships with people end up being, you make friends, lose them, make new friends, so on and so forth. It’s not my particularly favorite off the album but it’s definitely not a bad song.
Not The Same Anymore
This song is a great exploration into what it feels to experience change when you grow up, it’s bittersweet and melancholy. But at the same time it talks about a lack of change from one’s self and how that leads to change itself. The lyrics do a great job of carrying the feeling of guilt and instability throughout the song, but in the background the instrumentals also help.
