The Strokes have postponed the release of their upcoming album Reality Awaits, with guitarist Albert Hammond Jr revealing the reason behind the last-minute delay.
The New York rock band originally announced that their seventh studio album would arrive on 26 June alongside lead single Going Shopping. However, with just a week remaining before launch, the group confirmed that the album’s release had been pushed back to 24 July.
Albert Hammond Jr explains why Reality Awaits was delayed
Following the announcement, Albert Hammond Jr responded to fans on social media to clarify the decision.
According to reports, the guitarist explained that the band wanted the album’s streaming release to coincide with the arrival of physical vinyl editions, ensuring fans could access both formats simultaneously.
Hammond Jr also offered an early insight into the record’s sound, describing the music as feeling like it came from a “weird, young band”.
The comment has fuelled anticipation among fans eager to hear the follow-up to the band’s acclaimed 2020 album The New Abnormal.
The Strokes have been working on new music for years
Rumours of a new Strokes album first emerged in 2022 when producer Rick Rubin revealed that the band had been recording in Costa Rica.
At the time, Hammond Jr played down expectations about when the material would be released, explaining that the project was still evolving.
“I think he was just so excited about where we recorded.
“But I don’t know what to say about it – I don’t have any information on it. It’s not like it’s happening and I’m hiding something. We went and did a bunch of recording. It could come out a year or two years from now – it’s an unknown amount of time when it’ll be finished but, yes, we are working on another record.”
Over the following years, Hammond Jr confirmed that substantial recording sessions had taken place, while frontman Julian Casablancas repeatedly stressed that the album was far from complete.
Reality Awaits follows The New Abnormal
Reality Awaits marks The Strokes’ first studio album since The New Abnormal, which earned widespread critical acclaim and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.
The band’s return has been one of the most anticipated releases in alternative rock, particularly given the lengthy gap between albums and the sporadic updates from the group throughout the recording process.
The lead single, Going Shopping, arrived in April and offered fans their first taste of the new era.
Reality Awaits tracklist
The album is set to feature nine tracks:
- Psycho S***
- Dine N Dash
- Lonely In The Future
- Falling Out Of Love
- Going To Babble On
- Going Shopping
- Liars Remorse
- The Fruits Of Conquest
- Pros And Cons
