THE STROKES The New Abnormal (2020 UK/EU limited edition 9-track LP pressed on 180-gram Red Vinyl exclusively for independent record stores. Produced by Rick Rubin, The New Abnormal marked The Strokes' first studio album in seven years and found the band returning with a record that sounded lean, stylish and slightly uneasy, with the familiar cool of their early work pushed into stranger, more reflective territory. Across these nine tracks, Julian Casablancas and the band balance taut guitar interplay with a looser, more atmospheric approach, giving the album a sense of confidence that never feels overworked. The Adults Are Talking opens with wiry precision, Bad Decisions brings a bright, immediate hook, and At The Door strips things back to something colder and more dramatic. Elsewhere, Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus, Selfless and Ode To The Mets show a group more interested in mood, pacing and detail than simply repeating past formulas. Recorded at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California, produced by Rick Rubin. The picture sleeve features Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1981 painting Bird On Money, and this copy remains factory sealed in a transparent PVC outer sleeve with fold-out poster. Recommended).