The Strokes are gearing up to release The New Abnormal, their first album since 2013’s Comedown Machine. There’s a reason it took so long for the band to drop a new record following Comedown Machine, and it seems to be because there was bad blood within the group.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Julian Casablancas said the band didn’t promote or tour behind the album “because we weren’t in harmony.” He continued, “You know, maybe in a few years it really won’t matter and I’ll just say it… I could explain it, it’s not a big deal, but…” He added the group felt the “need to not be contractually bound” to a band that was “limiting to our personal lives. I guess it’s not that controversial, really. There was conflict and there was fear and we got through it and we made records, but it wasn’t, you know, out of pure brotherly love and musical inspiration.”
Casablancas also indicated that some of the stress in the band may have been due to his need for control, saying, “I think wanting to be in charge and wanting something to be good are different things. One is about selfishness, the other is about something objective. Is this person just an egomaniac wanting control or is it someone who can actually make it better? And that’s just life.”
Check out the full interview here.
