r/GBV

New Year’s Eve 2001 was the culmination of a powerful and painful last few months. We had all been shellshocked by the events of September 11. To be in New York City so soon was surreal, but I was there for what turned out to be one of the best concerts of my life: The Strokes and Guided by Voices at the Apollo in Harlem, with comedian David Cross of Arrested Development opening.

After the terrorist attacks, The Strokes’ legendary debut album, Is This It, had been delayed for release until October 9. The NYC band debated whether to include the song “New York City Cops” due to its potentially insensitive lyrics and, in the end, left it off the U.S. version.

While they were soon to become a major rock n’ roll symbol of arguably the greatest U.S. city, at the time of the holiday concert, The Strokes were still just hoping for a modest career living off music without necessarily dominating the radio. Little did I know that Cross was deep into hard drugs at the time. Nevertheless, Cross, like The Strokes and GBV, was on a serious upward trajectory. Even musician Ryan Adams, who attended the show, recalled it as one of the best concerts he’d ever seen.

It’s pretty special that The Strokes continue on and, though they have had a fair share of naysayers over the years, I don’t think the quality and enjoyability of their music has ever much wavered. The band remains one of my favorites.

Reality Awaits, The Strokes, ★★★★½ 4.5/5

Julian Casablancas and crew have consistently found a way to take us back to the early days of the 2000s, when the air burst with both a multitude of great indie-rock sounds and a new era of global political unrest. Some critics have found qualms with Julian’s occasional use of vocoder, but my only beef is that the front and back are a little weak, which may actually just be because the middle is so awesome. Awesome enough to make the band’s seventh release one of my favorites of the year.

Florida Water Blues, Twisted Teens, ★★★★½ 4.5/5

This artistic duo from New Orleans has exploded on the lo-fi indie scene with two albums in 2026, getting signed to Sub Pop, and opening for the Breeders and Kurt Vile. I like this one better of the two, and its creative blending of many genres makes it something I’ll want to keep listening to for a long time to come.

Blame the Clown, Twisted Teens, ★★★★☆ 4/5

Of this duo’s two 2026 releases, I like this one a little less, but the lo-fi mashup of styles like The Strokes and Guided by Voices makes it a release I can’t wait to keep spinning.

https://popculturelunchbox.substack.com/p/monthly-music-releases-the-strokes