The Strokes are an alternative indie band that formed in New York City. Julian Casablancas, the lead singer, guitarist Nick Valensi, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti attended Dwight School in Manhattan where they started playing together. Later, Nikolai Fraiture, who plays bass, joined the band, as he was a close childhood friend of Julian Casablancas. In 1998, the group invited guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. to join the band.
The Strokes first hit was a song called “Last Nite”, a song about a man questioning his choices after his girlfriend left him. Although “Last Nite” Hit #5 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, it’s not their most popular song. Having over 440 million listens on Spotify, The Strokes most popular song is “The Adults Are Talking”. The song consists of digital-sounding guitar riffs with an upbeat tempo and was released in their 2020 album, The New Abnormal, which won Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
While they never actually broke up, the band did have personal and professional conflicts, making it difficult to keep the band together. The guitarist, Albert Hammond, became addicted to cocaine and oxycontin at 24, 25, and 26, and later became addicted to heroin at 33. While this addiction did take a toll on their relationship, Hammond says when he became sober he was more creative. Though the band had their problems and were infrequent for 7 years after their 2013 album, Comedown Machine, they released their 2020 album, The New Abnormal which was a hit.
