The Strokes announce new album “Reality Awaits”: out this summer, 6 years after its predecessor

After the social media hints of recent days, the Strokes have finally announced their new album, “Reality Awaits”. It will be their first collection of new material since 2020's “The New Abnormal”.

The announcement came via the American band's social media channels, accompanied by an image of a car and the slogan "In The Flesh, It's Even Sexier". No precise release date yet, but the album is expected out this summer.

pic.twitter.com/zcKVWHwReB

— The Strokes (@thestrokes) April 6, 2026

Signs of a comeback had already emerged in the preceding weeks. During recent live dates and alongside the announcement of their Coachella appearance, the band had shared a series of visuals consistent with the retro aesthetic of the official announcement. Images of notebooks and cassette tapes had hinted at ongoing studio work, while SMS-based campaigns had teased an imminent message to fans, with the explicit promise to "share something soon".

In 2023, Julian Casablancas had suggested a new album was still a long way off, but the involvement of producer Rick Rubin — who had already worked on “The New Abnormal” — reignited expectations. The sessions, held in Costa Rica, were described by Rubin as remarkably smooth, to the point of becoming a top-tier recording experience.

The announcement coincides with the Strokes' return to live performance: on April 4th they played at The Warfield in San Francisco alongside Alex Cameron, in preparation for their two headlining sets scheduled for April 11th and 18th at Coachella. The lineup also includes names such as Interpol, Geese and The XX, further cementing the generational and stylistic context of the event.

During the break between records, the band members kept up significant side activity. Casablancas focused on his project The Voidz, while Albert Hammond Jr. continued his solo career, releasing the album "Melodies On Hiatus" in 2023.

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