Reality no longer awaits.
After a delayed release, The Strokes finally delivered their highly-anticipated seventh studio album “Reality Awaits” on Friday, July 24.
The nine-track offering is yet another evolution for the always-experimenting group. Whereas their 2020 Grammy-winning record “The New Abnormal” leaned into laid-back indie cool, “Reality Awaits” finds Casablancas and co. leaning into their odder tendencies and letting their proverbial freak flags fly.
From the moody yet spaced-out opener “Psycho S—“ all the way until the trippy, dreamy “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon,” there isn’t a moment that doesn’t surprise here. And, against all odds, the band somehow maintains their trademark sound.
All the ingredients are same but the meal…tastes different.
Still delicious but a new flavor.
And, if you’d like to hear the new album — as well as the band’s other unimpeachable bops — live, you can catch The Strokes on tour all summer long.
That includes their two gigs in New Jersey and New York.
Up first is the star-studded Sea.Hear.Now Festival at North Beach in Asbury Park, NJ. They’ll be joined by fellow icons like Mumford & Sons, Goo Goo Dolls, The Offspring, Pixies and Chaka Khan at the two-day Garden State extravaganza on the sand.
Two weeks later, the New York natives return to their hometown for a massive gig at Queens’ Flushing Meadow Corona Park. Special guests on the bill include TV on the Radio, Beach House and Fcukers.
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At past shows on the ongoing ‘Reality Awaits’ run, the group has dipped into their well of hits, playing throwback fan favorites “Reptilia,” “Last Nite,” “Whatever Happened?”,” “Hard To Explain” and “Someday” while mixing in newer cuts from “The New Abnormal” and “Reality Awaits,” according to Set List FM.
For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about The Strokes new album and ‘Reality Awaits Tour’ below.
Where are The Strokes performing on tour?
A complete calendar including all North American tour/festival dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found here:
Who are The Strokes headlining with at festivals this year?
On top of the tour, The Strokes are lending their talents to several major multi-day musical extravaganzas. If you want to see which one jives the best with you, here’s everything you need to know about each of them, from venues to fellow headliners.
| The Strokes 2026 festival appearances |
|---|
| Outside Lands Festival Aug. 7-9 at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA Charli XCX, Rüfüs Du Sol, The XX, DJO, Turnstile |
| Just Like Heaven Festival Aug. 22 at the Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena, CA LCD Soundsystem, TV Girl, Chromeo, The Rapture, Feist |
| Shaky Knees Festival Sept 18-20 at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem, Wu-Tang Clan, Turnstile, Pavement |
| Sea.Hear.Now Festival Sept. 19-20 at North Beach in Asbury Park, NJ The War on Drugs, Fontaines D.C., Moby, Kim Gordon, The All-American Rejects |
What songs do The Strokes play live?
The Strokes most recently headlined at Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheater on July 23. Set List FM reported these were the songs they took to the stage:
01.) “Killing Lies”
02.) “Hard to Explain”
03.) “Bad Decisions”
04.) “Juicebox”
05.) “Going Shopping”
06.) “Ize of the World”
07.) “Dine N’Dash”
08.) “Someday”
09.) “One Way Trigger”
10.) “Take It or Leave It”
11.) “Life Is Simple in the Moonlight”
12.) “Reptilia”
13.) “Last Nite”
14.) “Evening Sun”
15.) “What Ever Happened?”
16.) “The Adults Are Talking”
17.) “You Only Live Once”
18.) “Threat of Joy”
19.) “Ode to the Mets”
The Strokes new music
On Friday, July 24, The Strokes dropped their seventh studio album “Reality Awaits.”
The record is a lot of things but one thing it isn’t is boring. After a handful of spins, we keep revisiting the record to rediscover its charming peculiarities and miniscule nuances.
“Reality Awaits” gets underway with “Psycho S—“ that has far less bark than one might expect from that menacing title. Pensive, melancholy guitar and whispering vocals slowly build until auto-tune Casablancas goes all out and hits oddly endearing high notes over crashing cymbals and soaring Strokes-y solos. Sure, the nightmarish Voidz influence is felt here but Strokes DNA is certainly present.
Things get a bit more conventional with the catchy “Dine N’Dash.” Neat percussion, tightly-controlled guitar and a restrained, lullaby-like Julian harken back to “The New Abnormal.” There are still yelp-y, grunt-y shouts but if you prefer the group’s earlier output, this might be a good place to start.
“Lonely in the Future” is a sonic blast right out the gate. The first ten seconds sound more in line with Rage Against The Machines than The Strokes’ typical fare. Things follow a more straightforward path from there as Casablancas sings a beautiful chorus where he repeats “I did that yesterday/I did that years ago when I was a kid.” A sly reference to the group’s new direction and their unwillingness to stick to the script? Perhaps. Bonus points for the bleating sound toward the end. It’s impossible not to jam out to.
Ahead of the album’s release, they dropped the downbeat yet dreamy single “Falling Out Love.” After it was dropped, we wrote that the song “finds chameleonic lead singer Julian Casablancas channeling both Lou Reed’s detached style and Neil Young’s high-pitched warble to create a Voidz-ian swirling anthem punctuated by the numbing refrain ‘Fallin’ out of love for the first time/Some things are flawed by design/But I’m fine for the first time.’” We stand by that.
We’re absolutely smitten with the playful “Going to Babble On.” The track isn’t particularly memorable but fits beautifully within the fivesome’s canon. Somewhat upbeat with a slightly sinister streak and a mesmerizing hook. No complaints here.
At this point, we’ve been listening to the lead single “Going Shopping” for months since its April release. The tropicalia-tinged tune feels like The Strokes in a minor key. A chilled-out but unmistakably Strokes-ian groove, Julian doing his auto-tuned Voidz thing…until the minute mark. Then, BAM! Tthe BPMs kick up a notch and a Dire Straits-esque sound pop and takes the single to the next level. This is offbeat summer music at its absolute best. Blast this one by the pool.
No lie, the dingy “Liar’s Remorse” is our favorite track on all of “Reality Awaits.” It’s a bit dour, whiny but also irresistible. Ambitous, strange and occasionally magical, the song heads into raw Beatles territory toward the end with a strange “harmonic minor” moment. There’s no doubt this song will be divisive but its fans will likely defend this one to the end.
Well, we didn’t expect “The Fruits of Conquest.” Easily, the funkiest, freshest track here, this seductive anthem is as sexy as the group has ever done. Casablancas channels Jagger over the grooviest beat the outfit has ever produced. What a treat. Put this one on while you’re closing up shop at a restaurant and your shift will be over in no time (if you don’t work at a restaurant, throw this on five minutes before logging off).
Closing the album out is the humble “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon,” that has a bit in common with “Happiness is a Warm Gun” (perhaps I’m making Beatles connections that aren’t there) for a short bit before the band settles back into their trademark exquisite garage rock and Julian’s snaky vocals. Fuzzed-out guitars midway through this song is a high point for the record that’s already full of them.
OK, that’s all we have to say! Now, you go out and form your own opinion. You can find “Reality Awaits” here.
Who is opening for The Strokes this year?
At all non-festival shows, The Strokes will be joined by at least one opening act. To make sure you’re familiar with their disparate sounds, you can find each artist’s most-streamed track on Spotify below.
TV on the Radio: “Wolf Like Me”
Beach House: “Space Song”
Fcukers: “Bon Bon”
Cage The Elephant: “Cigarette Daydreams”
Thundercat: “Funny Thing”
Hamilton Leithauser: “A 1000 Times”
Fat White Family: “Touch The Leather Redux”
Alex Cameron: “Stranger’s Kiss”
Huge artists on tour in 2026
Although there really is no group quite like The Strokes, here are just five of our favorites with similar sensibilities you won’t want to miss live these next few months.
• AC/DC
• Gorillaz
• Muse
Plus, don’t forget Geese is pounding the pavement all year.
Who else is out and about? Take a look at this list of all the biggest rockers on tour in 2026 to find the concert for you.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
