Features It Takes Different Strokes: Surprising Comeback Tracks

This January has been one like no other in the music world. Traditionally a rather quiet time, instead we’ve had the pleasure of a long list of shock returns, long awaited comebacks and new music premieres to gorge on. However, one notable gang of returnees has prompted something of a mixed reaction. When The Strokes premiered ’One Way Trigger’ late least week, the first material to be unveiled from their forthcoming fifth album ’Comedown Machine’, it was met by some with either bemused bafflement or dismissive scorn. In reality though, it is exactly the sort of track the New Yorkers should be returning with; a bit strange, a bit bonkers and quite brilliant.



There are few better things in pop than the insane comeback. There’s nothing better for reviving interest in an artist than a new track that prompts an instant reaction of “What is that?’ It’s fair to say that The Strokes were in need of that reaction. While their last record ‘Angles’ was good, it didn’t recapture the band’s past glories. The intriguing change in direction provided by ‘One Way Trigger’ is a welcome shot in the arm.

This new track is the sound of a band re-configured and discombobulated. Julian Casablancas’ insouciant drawl is largely eschewed, in favour of a strange and disquieting falsetto, while rinky-dink synth lines hop and skip merrily over a frenetic tempo. Of course it bears a resemblance to A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’, but anyone with an ounce of appreciation of pop at its finest knows that this is a Very Good Thing. Those questioning the genesis of the track would also do well to seek out Julian Casablancas’ solo record ‘Phrazes For The Young’, arguably the finest record connected to The Strokes since ‘Is This It’.

Music is built around the shock of the new; without the ability to confound and bemuse, it would lose a great deal of appeal. The best artists are aware of this; David Bowie and Prince both established their careers on this principal. Prince, in particular, knew how to return with a grand statement. Consider ‘When Doves Cry’, the lead track from ‘Purple Rain’. A track that contains no bass. Previously, it had been hitherto unthinkable for a black soul pop act to jettison the one instrument that defines funk, yet Prince had the foresight and sheer genius to break those conventions and create something truly iconic. The Strokes may not be quite so groundbreaking here, but it’s hugely encouraging to see them adding elements to their sound that were previously unthinkable.

More recently, both Battles and MGMT have returned with singles of sheer unadulterated batshit craziness. The former’s ‘Ice Cream’ is a particularly good example of a band who returned with something completely new and refreshing, offering a new take on established foundations. Whereas, their debut album showcased cerebral and intricate musical dexterity; ‘Gloss Drops’ lead track was an ebullient riot with a keyboard riff so deranged and inordinately catchy that it could have easily came from Monty Python’s ‘Ministry Of Silly Riffs.’

But perhaps the reaction to The Strokes new track most resembles the response to MGMT’s ’Flash Delirium’, in that nobody really quite knows what to make of it. Three years later though and its mix of cosmic psychedelic wonderment sounds superb.



The Strokes ‘One Way Trigger’ does not need three years though. It already sounds like a revelation for the New York band and if nothing else, it suggests that the release of ‘Comedown Machine’ should be very interesting indeed. Let’s hope it provides many more surprises.

The Strokes new album ‘Comedown Machine’ will be released on 25th March via Rough Trade.