Is This It The Strokes -

The Strokes answered with a resounding . The Legacy: It Was, In Fact, It Did The Strokes change music? For a brief window in 2001-2003, every band signed to a label had to own a leather jacket and a broken amp. The "The" bands arrived: The Killers, The Bravery, The Libertines.

The genius of the album is its . Raphael didn’t mic the drums to sound like thunder; he mic them to sound like cardboard boxes being kicked down a hallway. The bass on “Is This It” (the track) throbs like a subway train passing through a tunnel. Nothing is clean. Everything is slightly out of tune.

On July 30, 2001, five guys from New York City walked into a recording studio with a producer named Gordon Raphael. They walked out with a 36-minute earthquake.

But more importantly, Is This It taught indie rock that it was okay to be cool without trying. It taught us that imperfection is more relatable than perfection. And it taught us that you don't need a concept album about a dystopian future to capture the anxiety of right now. Is This It The Strokes

But after re-listening to the vinyl crackle of “The Modern Age” for the hundredth time, I think we’ve been reading the title wrong. It’s not a question of defeat. It’s a dare. To understand Is This It , you have to forget everything you know about 2000s rock. Before The Strokes, the airwaves were clogged with nu-metal angst, post-grunge sincerity, and boy-band pop. Music was either angry, sad, or polished to a mirror shine.

But to answer the title: Yes, Julian. This is it. And it’s still pretty damn good. "Hard to Explain" (loud), "Someday" (quiet, on a Sunday morning), "Trying Your Luck" (when you’re feeling pathetic).

That’s because the real cover—used everywhere else—is a photograph of a naked female derriere, draped in a black leather glove, shot from behind. The Strokes answered with a resounding

We live in an era of "maximalism." Podcasts are three hours long. Movies are three hours long. Albums have 20 tracks. Everything is a "universe."

Is Is This It the best album of the 21st century? Debatable. Is it the most important ? Arguably.

Then came Julian Casablancas, slurring his words like he just woke up on a Lower East Side fire escape. He wasn’t singing about the party; he was the hangover. The "The" bands arrived: The Killers, The Bravery,

The album was Is This It . The band was The Strokes. And for the last two decades, critics and fans have been asking the same question the title implies: Is this it? Is this all there is? Is this the peak?

You just need a girl who "wants to watch something good on the TV," a broken heart, and a cigarette.

Is This It is the antidote. It asks: Do you really need more than 36 minutes to say something true?

It was deemed too risqué for American chain stores like Walmart. But ironically, that photo captures the album better than the blue dots. The glove is sensual, gritty, anonymous, and slightly dangerous. It’s the feeling of a one-night stand where you don't ask for a name. Here is why the album still matters in 2024.