Let’s talk: the strokes. politics, the new abnormal, coachella

Love them or hate them, the way The Strokes closed out their 2026 Coachella set meant something. Something very important.

Music is, has been, and will forever be one of if not the most influential form of political art, expression, and communication. From protest songs of the civil rights movement, to anthemic anti-Vietnam ballads, and now with music collectives like War Child Records raising money for children affected by global conflict. Challenging authority and mobilizing audiences through music has always been a cultural touchstone for artists; I mean take a look at JoJo Siwa! In all seriousness, music has a different depth to political discourse than other mediums – it’s emotion, it’s shared experience, it’s the identity of a generation. Thorough research in music psychology demonstrates that music has the power to shape attitudes and encourage social engagement through resonation which provides music with one of the most unique angles of cultural influence. The significance of political music and political acts in music is in its power to connect people with its messaging. This is especially relevant in the 21st century, where artists are no longer evaluated by the audience and critics solely on their musical output – but their public statements, social activism, and responses to global events as well. From festival stages to interviews and Twitter accounts, everything that an artist chooses to say about something nowadays will get out there. There are those who choose to speak about controversial issues, who receive both praise and criticism – whether being right or wrong. And yes, there is a right and wrong, and yes, I do wonder if Nicki Minaj’s sudden MAGA-crazed psychosis was done in a plea deal to get her husband removed from the sex offender registry. But, in general, this constant pressure of spotlight reflects broader societal tensions surrounding celebrity responsibility and authenticity, and is so deeply intertwined with the political music environment and its artistic expression.

Among these artists, is the contemporary indie rock band The Strokes, who provide a particularly compelling case study for examining these dynamics. The Strokes, who broke out of New York with their incredibly commercially successful and critically acclaimed debut Is This It? in 2001, have become one of if not the defining indie rock act. Five guys that were basically the standard for cool 2000’s older brother, being indisputably influential their earlier works explored themes of urban life, love, and youth and later on became increasingly more political and socially aware. This political evolution in The Strokes’ discography reached a significant milestone and tipping point with their 2020 release, The New Abnormal. The record was released right around the time of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by political polarization, climate anxiety, and economic uncertainty. Concepts of distrust, social fragmentation, and uncertainty about the future coalesced on Casablancas’ songwriting, and the LP was awarded Best Rock Album at the 63rd Grammy’s.

Effortless cool, stripped melodies, and the perfect timing transformed a bunch of nepo-baby prep school squids into the saviors of indie rock. When Is This It hit the scene in 2001, mainstream rock radio had still not recovered from the Nirvana swine flu of the 90's. These filthy rich suckers decided to tone it back to the roots of Lou Reed and Tom Petty with modern, easygoing garage rock. The record didn't touch people solely because of what it sounded like, the guys in the band were just as relevant when considering why or how they blew up. They embodied this image of youthful urban life -- whether that was late nights in New York City, leather jackets, cheap apartments, drunk cigarettes, and this nonchalant dreadhead ahh indifferent attitude. The Strokes were a representation of being lost in your 20's, shitty relationships, and boredom with the mundanities of life. "Yeah, my name's Julian and I fuckin' hate my girl!!!" The detached confidence and swag that the members carried became just as influential as the music itself and ultimately defined what people thought of when they thought of indie rock bands. This was the vibe that shaped post-9/11 America for young people everywhere and the uncertainty that came along with that. As The Strokes got older, the way they expressed their feelings about life changed. Later releases included lyrical context expressing their increased frustration with political dysfunction, socioeconomic inequalities, media control, capitalism, and environmental concerns.

The couldn't-give-a-shit frontman Julian Casablancas applied that mindset to everything but his political takes as the years went on. It's not like Casablancas ever particularly had an interest in partisan politics, but the way that he spoke about the systems behind them in interviews with The New Yorker and Rick Rubin ever-so-subtly creeped into The Strokes' discography. Casablancas consistently critiques large media outlets of creating division instead of informing the public and he argues that concentrated wealth and corporate influence have eroded democracy. This guy is a fucking SOCIALIST! To my understanding, he is most passionate about climate change, and had even started a show partnering with The Rolling Stone magazine a few years back called "SOS - Earth Is A Mess". Casablancas describes society’s response to environmental collapse as one of normalization rather than urgency—a perspective that directly inspired the title The New Abnormal.

So, at 40 years old, and a slew of releases that were shrugged at by critics and fans alike, what more could the band have to say? Well, loads. Released 7 years after their previous LP, The Comedown Machine, it's difficult to classify The New Abnormal as a comeback record. This was a record that redefined an already legendary band. The creative fragmentation that stemmed from marriages, side projects, and artistic disagreements was thrown out of the window in partial thanks to producer Rick Rubin. The New Abnormal rediscovered the chemistry of what made the early music so incredibly good while applying everything that they had learned in the process. The title, borrowed from then-California governor Jerry Brown's statements during the 2018 wildfire season refers to how these climate disasters and political stability had just become parts of everyday life. Wait, does anyone feel that? It's raindrops from Elon's trickle down economy! In seriousness--when TNA hit the shelves on April 10th, 2020, the world had already gone to shit thanks to COVID-19 (a hoax).

The album had instantaneously become synonymous with lockdowns and isolation, political polarization, and uncertainty. The hazy synths, melancholic guitar lines, sprawling song structures, and the subdued dream-like production had replaced the youthful swagger that had long defined The Strokes up until this point. Both sonically and lyrically, the perfectly-timed record flawlessly captured the emotional exhaustion of living through overlapping crises, resonating with listeners who then found themselves navigating a world just as uncertain as the one built on The New Abnormal. And this thing was a MAJOR commercial success. Critics loved it, fans loved it, and TNA earned The Strokes their first Grammy, hit #1 on the chart, and it was embraced as the first genuine return to form since Is This It. The record showed everyone that the band still had so much more to say and that they were incredibly capable of capturing the emotional atmosphere of the pandemic. And, The New Abnormal laid the groundwork for the statement that the band would make on one of the world's prominent festival stages.

Six years after The New Abnormal's release, The Strokes transformed their final Coachella set into a very important political statement. They closed off with Oblivius, a song that talks about the tendency to ignore uncomfortable truths, and was accompanied by imagery that depicted American foreign intervention, the destruction of Gaza, bombings in Iran, and a plethora of other humanitarian crises going on right now. The years of political evolution in their music culminated in this single performance. The Strokes (surprisingly) aren't Ted Kaczynski, and didn't need a political manifesto to provide an explanation, and at that, the lack of an explanation was a statement in and of itself and allowed the audience's interpretations of the imagery to coexist with each other. Coachella is one of the biggest celebrations of culture and music across the world and it is documented virtually everywhere, and their choice to close out their set like this was the only logical conclusion to everything that had been building up since the release of The New Abnormal.

So, who even really gives a shit that a bunch of nepo babies decided to get political? Well... Because history suggests that we probably should. Political music has helped create so many powerful social movements and conversations that have been vital in creating change and awareness for what's going on behind open doors. Like, some people didn't even know that Cape Verde was a country until the World Cup. That's how blissfully unaware some people are. Music has the ability to turn speeches and protest into an emotional connection and something to get groovy to! Now I'm not saying that you should get groovy to women and children being genocided in Gaza, but as long as it starts a conversation I'm all for it. The performance forced everyone in the audience to confront uncomfortable subjects and even if you weren't there; it was everywhere online. They were able to start that discourse and that is what gives it so much power. And, I know. Their set was never going to solve every humanitarian crisis that's currently going on, but that's not the point. Introducing politics into the way that people feel music gives it power beyond emotion and community. There are such few artistic vehicles that exist that can reach people as quickly or as deeply as music.

THE STROKES MADE PEOPLE LOOK UP AND WATCH. THAT'S WHAT MATTERS.