More about: The Strokes

It’s impossible to meet a music fan who doesn’t have some sort of memory attached to at least one of The Strokes’ seminal garage rock hits. For me, ‘Someday’ is a slow day on the floor at my part-time retail job, ‘Reptilia’ is a blurry Friday night amidst the dingy lights of cult North London haunt The Lexington, and ‘Last Nite’ is smudging my eyeliner on a street corner in Manchester after my ex-almost-boyfriend was particularly mean to me the night before.

Having spearheaded the early-2000s garage rock revival – and paving the way for the hordes of white men with guitars that followed their lead – the New York City-based five-piece are an undeniable part of the very foundations of 21st century rock and trail-blazing debut Is This It is an integral part of any music connoisseur’s record collection. 

But, what about the tracks that gained less traction? The songs once captured our hearts and imaginations but, in the years and decades that followed, have become lost in a murky crevasse of discordant riffs, infectious basslines and sardonic, scoffing lyrics? As the band’s debut record turned twenty this week, we scoured the archives to unearth 11 of the most underrated The Strokes tracks of all time.

‘I’ll Try Anything Once’

The sulky younger sister to Strokes classic ‘You Only Live Once,’ ‘I’ll Try Anything Once’ takes a lo-fi meander through tender lyricism, floaty keys and stripped-back guitar arrangements. Known more for its recent reiterations by the likes of HAIM and Clairo, the ‘Heart In A Cage’ B-side is often overlooked as a far cry from the rocky, guitar-driven drone that fans are used to. With a sensual, old-fashioned feel that wouldn’t feel out of place in the opening scenes of a fuzzy black and white horror film, the haunting track sees the band at their most delicate. 

‘When It Started’

Offering up earworm drum beats and ingenious bass rhythms, ‘When It Started’ was somewhat of an outlier on 2001’s Is This It, laying the foundations for post-debut developments, the track had to be drafted in to replace ‘New York City Cops’ on the U.S release following the September 11 terrorist attacks and the “valiant response” the band witnessed by the NYPD. Typically Strokes but maybe a bit before its time, the greatest acclaim the track received was a place on the 2002 Spider-Man soundtrack. 

‘Hawaii’

Perhaps the most upbeat track from Casablancas and co. to date, ‘Hawaii’ has been described by fans as “the only Strokes song that has absolutely 0 melancholy.” Released as a B-side to the 2005 single ‘Juicebox,’ the feel good track scurries between jubilant guitar riffs and chipper, lighthearted vocals. With a healthy measure of cynicism thrown into the mix – “A nuclear disaster might be on our way / I don’t care I’m in the USA,” Casablancas chirps – it’s lyrics speak to American culture just as much as they did a decade and a half ago. 

‘Modern Girls and Old Fashion Men’ 

Another overlooked B-side, it’s surprising that ‘Modern Girls and Old Fashion Men’ hasn’t garnered more attention—even from its long-winded title alone. Plucked from 2003’s Reptilia, the tactile duet pits guest vocals from Russian-American songwriter Regina Spektor effortlessly against Casablancas’ hedonic rasp. As the pair’s vocals intertwine and fight for sonic dominance, the sulky track is undercut by a typical Strokes-ian riff. 

‘Electricityscape’

Slightly apocalyptic and a tad vulnerable, ‘Electricityscape’ – plucked from the band’s third and oft overlooked studio album First Impressions of Earth – is at the more complex end of the Strokes spectrum. Offering up calamitous, ever-so-slightly prophetic instrumentals and a more tender approach to lyricism from straight-faced Casablancas, the track is both savvy and stimulating. 

‘Walk On The Wild Side’ 

The Strokes’ idiosyncratic sound has long been indebted to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground – Casablancas even tweeted in 2013 that Lou Reed “is the reason I do everything I do” – and the omnipotent frontman is perhaps at his best on the band’s 2006 cover of the aforementioned Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’. One of the more effective interpretations of the 1972 track, Casablancas' throaty drawl is complemented by stripped-back percussion and plodding guitar licks. 

‘50/50’

Perhaps the most neglected track from 2013’s Comedown Machine, ‘50/50’ is a slightly rockier track than Strokes fans might be used to. With fast-paced, rattling instrumentals, rampant guitar riffs and a lo-fi quality to Casablancas’ agitated vocals, the track is evocative of a late night in a clammy late night in a dicey New York basement. 

 ‘I Wish It Was Christmas Today’ 

Pinched from an early 2000s Saturday Night Live skit, no underrated Strokes list would be complete without a nod to Casablancas’ slightly surreal – but completely sincere – take on jangling Christmas pop.  Injecting a healthy dose of craggy Strokes energy into the whimsical festive number, skittish guitar riffs and bombastic vocals mingle amongst a smattering of jingle bells with all the confidence of a middle-aged aunt after a few too many drinks at a family get-together. 

‘Eternal Summer’

2020 comeback album The New Abnormal gained widespread praise from fans and critics alike for its newfangled synth-driven sound and its meticulous musical cohesion. Yet the new wave-infused, pop-tinged album is an outlier in The Strokes’ discography; often left on the shelf in favour of gnarlier garage rock hits from the band’s earlier catalogue. ‘Eternal Summer’ – a six minute, synthy sprawl that pinches its melodies from The Psychedelic Furs’ 1984 ‘The Ghost In You’ – is the record’s more forcible, yet easily forgotten, track.

‘In Her Prime’

Following the band’s elemental garage rock formula – catchy hook, lumbering drums and gravelly vocals – early demo ‘In Her Prime’ is a quintessential Strokes track. A product of the early pre-The Modern Age era, the song is slightly less subtle in its pilfering of inspiration from The Velvet Underground than some of the band’s later material. Nonetheless, its craggy, slightly off-kilter riffs and dependable bassline are exhilarating and experimental in equal measure.

‘Life Is Simple In The Moonlight’

Another track with an unnecessarily lengthy title, ‘Life Is Simple In The Moonlight’ is a dancey cut from 2011’s slightly underwhelming release Angles. Complete with a subtle injection of synths, an intoxicating guitar solo and catchy, characteristically Strokes hooks aplenty, the Angles closer exemplifies the band’s knack for saving the best till last. 

More about: The Strokes