This album was always going to go one of two ways: either the seething tension between the band would result in a ‘Rumours’-like amalgamation of frayed emotions and determined individuals, or it would be a hashed effort that sounds like a band making a record out of obligation rather than desire. The results sadly lie mostly in the latter category.
The record isn’t entirely disagreeable, but it feels like paint-by-numbers Strokes and it suggests that in the five years the band have been apart and absent from the studio they haven’t even really had any ideas for new material. It really feels like a result of them saying “enough is enough, let’s get in the studio” as though the success of the project lies with them actually recording it, not the outcome of the album - which is for the most part a collection of rambling mediocrity.
The fact that Julian Casablancas was absent from all recording sessions clearly indicates the degree of the separation the band were going through, thus his sounding emotionally removed and alienated is not exactly a fresh discovery, and it’s certainly not the same man who pumped every last ounce of being into New York City Cops. The Strokes have always been unfairly associated with certain bands and influences, and this album only adds further testament to the misunderstanding, as it’s awash with ‘80s influences. The staple trademarks of ice-cold synths, stabbing guitars and manufactured beats at times sound invigorating (Taken For a Fool) but at others like a karaoke backing track (Games). Closing track Life Is Simple In The Moon is perhaps the album’s crowning achievement; one of the few songs in which it feels like everything falls into place, recalling the slightly more produced grooves of the Room On Fire period.
Making ‘Angles’ seems to have reinstated a fire in the band at least, as reports are coming in that album number five is already in the pipeline. So, perhaps we’ll have to wait until then to see if The Strokes of old can return, or indeed forge something new altogether. For now, though, this is a stop-gap that is certainly more gap than fill.