The Strokes have not released any new music since their sixth and latest album, The New Abnormal in 2020. However, fans may finally have an explanation for the hiatus. The Strokes lead vocalist Julian Casablancas recently did an interview with Rolling Stone Italia, in which he shared his thoughts on the current state of the band. Although Casablancas hoped to play with The Strokes forever, he explained, “We had entered a mechanism that kept us together solely for financial reasons, pushing the band’s creativity into the background.” He added, “So I came to the conclusion that wasn’t the way I wanted to develop.” 

When asked what Casablancas is currently looking for musically, he answered, “I always want to feel like I’m searching for something unexplored. If I make money, that’s fine, but I don’t want to stay still. I’m not looking for security or the status quo. If someone wants to keep creating, they have to be ready for change. Even if it means the death of something they held dear.” Casablancas’ answer should come as no surprise since he has previously expressed his boredom towards playing classic The Strokes songs. Regarding his time with The Strokes, he added, “It was still fun, but when you start playing 30 or 40 shows, the music doesn’t move you. You feel phoney. To some extent, that’s why I play with The Voidz. I couldn’t care less about playing ‘Last Nite.’” Although Casablancas is focusing more on The Voidz now, he is still performing with The Strokes live. According to NME, the band announced two warm up shows before their performance at the Austin City Limits festival. The two warm up performances will take place on September 27 in Las Vegas and October 1 in El Paso. Tickets for the warm up shows can be purchased here.