Casablancas plucks joyful ideas from the Voidz

By the Editorial Team · Friday, July 24, 2026

Julian Casablancas and the Strokes have released *Reality Awaits*, their seventh album and first in six years, blending the band’s classic melodic pop with experimental elements from Casablancas’s project, the Voidz. This fusion signals a renewed creative energy for the group, balancing accessibility with innovation and suggesting continued artistic growth.

Julian Casablancas’s latest release with the Strokes, *Reality Awaits*, marks the New York band’s seventh album and their first in six years. The record reflects a significant creative fusion of Casablancas’s work with both the Strokes and his experimental rock project, the Voidz. This blending of styles results in a distinctive sound that expands on the minimalism and melodic pop traditionally associated with the Strokes by integrating elements of the Voidz’s more unconventional and eclectic approach.

Since the Voidz’s 2014 debut, *Tyranny*, which polarized listeners with its complex and prog-influenced style, the band has evolved notably. Their 2018 album, *Virtue*, is widely regarded as a highlight in Casablancas’s career, showcasing a diverse mix of styles including pop-rock, yacht rock, and bedroom pop. That record arguably cleared the way for the Strokes’ 2018 comeback, *The New Abnormal*, which saw them recapturing some of their original early-2000s sound.

*Reality Awaits* combines the experimental and quirky energy of the Voidz—complete with Casablancas’s use of Auto-Tune and unconventional vocal inflections—with the Strokes’ characteristic streamlined arrangements. The result is a playful and at times joyful album featuring some of Casablancas’s most engaging performances in years. Tracks like “Going to Babble On” stand out as heartfelt and accessible, recalling the band’s early emotional resonance, while songs such as “Going Shopping” incorporate a steady yacht rock groove that invites extended instrumental explorations. Meanwhile, the dub-influenced “The Fruits of Conquest” echoes the darker 1980s tones occasionally found in the Strokes’ earlier work.

Despite its strengths, the album is not without its flaws. The closing track, “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon,” departs from the more structured tunes and adopts a freer, more sprawling form, which some may find unwieldy compared to the rest of the record’s more concise pop songs. This unevenness is a trait noted in various recent projects involving Casablancas.

After years in which some critics viewed the Strokes primarily as a commercial vehicle for Casablancas’s wider ambitions, *Reality Awaits* suggests a renewed artistic vitality within the group. The album indicates an openness to experimentation balanced with an accessible sound, hinting that the band’s creative journey may still hold significant potential for evolution.

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