'Is This It 'was immediately met with positive reception, debuting at number two on the UK Album charts and later being hailed as NME’s Album Of The Year. Whilst the album was also praised in the US, their transatlantic impact was undeniable and spoke to the identity crisis in guitar music that was felt particularly in the UK music scene at the time.
Their instant success not only firmly established them as pioneers alongside other emerging bands in New York at the time, such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs and LCD Soundsystem, but also cemented their place as the new model for British bands such as the Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines to follow suit.
The opening track ‘Is This It’ encapsulated a sense of existential dissatisfaction with life, a fitting contemporary theme at the turn of the the millennial that remains a timeless track for those feeling that yearning for something greater in early adulthood, which is echoed throughout the album.
The two standout tracks from the album, ‘Someday’ and ‘Last Nite’, remain indie cult classics. The two most upbeat and brightest songs on the album both embody what made the Strokes so deeply appealing at the time: vulnerable and introspective lyrics sung and presented in a swaggy, almost apathetic way to fit their famous nonchalant persona.
One of the most prominent features of the remarkable debut was the use of an Avalon preamp to deliver striking distorted and compressed vocals, which became synonymous with The Strokes’ sound. With the help of Gordon Raphael, they achieved a kind of dirty sound, which seemed to encompass the gritty, homemade edge which defined this era of music.
The Strokes have carried this approach of vocal distortion throughout their career and most notably in their latest album ‘Reality Awaits’. Produced by Rick Rubin, their most recent album relies heavily on the use of auto-tune, building on Julian Casablancas' long-running experimentation with processed vocals, from his collaboration with Daft Punk to his later work in his second band, The Voidz. The band’s approach of using contemporary technology to add a new, exciting element to guitar music seems to remain the band’s trademark and keeps the band at the forefront of the future of guitar music.
Most famously, Alex Turner in ‘Star Treatment’ sings “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes”, showcasing the integral influence which the band had on one of the biggest rock bands of the next generation, Arctic Monkeys, and in turn the whole new generation of rock bands which emerged in the 2000s. Their influence remains today, with bands such as Inhaler and Fontaines D.C. citing the band as not only central in creating their sound, but the reason for picking up a guitar in the first place.
A quarter of a century later, the influence of 'Is This It' holds the same significance it did in 2001. Whilst The Strokes did not invent rock music with their debut, they gave it a new identity at a time in which it desperately needed it. The combination of intricate guitars, distorted vocals that scratch the brain perfectly and their perfectly curated aloofness, they were able to define a generation’s sound and serve as the blueprint for some of the biggest bands of both their generation and the next.
Their commitment to experimentation and redefining contemporary guitar music remains; their commendable refusal to retreat solely into nostalgia allows them to continue to be one of the most successful rock bands today. Twenty-five years on from their debut, the band seem to have found the answer to their question ‘Is this it?’. As it appears, no, this was just the beginning!
Hollie Panrucker
Image: ‘Is This It’ Official Album Cover
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