The Chelsea

The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band consists of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. They were a prominent group in the early-2000s garage rock revival and post-punk revival movements. Their debut EP, The Modern Age, was released in early 2001 and led to a bidding war among minor labels, resulting in their signing with RCA Records. Their debut album, Is This It, was released that summer and received widespread critical acclaim and strong sales. It has appeared on numerous lists of greatest albums. The band followed with Room on Fire in 2003 and First Impressions of Earth in 2005, both of which sold well but did not achieve the same immediate critical success as their debut, despite positive reviews. After a five-year hiatus, they released Angles in 2011 and Comedown Machine in 2013, which received generally positive reviews but experienced declining sales. Following the end of their initial contract with RCA, they released the EP Future Present Past in 2016 through Casablancas' label Cult.