Fans of The Strokes, a popular rock band that was formed in the late 1990s, have been excitedly counting down the days until they can finally listen to the group’s new album, Reality Awaits. The record will be the band’s first in six years, and it was originally set to come out on June 26.
But in early June, The Strokes surprised fans when it was announced that the album was officially delayed. Instead of the late June release date, it was pushed back to July 24. At the time, the band didn’t give a reason for the delay. But according to a new comment from guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., there was a very simple and understandable reason for the decision.
Hammond responded to a fan in a since-deleted comment on X about the change in release date. As reported by NME, he explained that the album was delayed four weeks so that the digital release would coincide with the release of the vinyl version of Reality Awaits. It’s unclear why Hammond went on to delete the reply.
The Strokes have already released two singles from the album, “Going Shopping” and “Falling Out Of Love.”
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In late May, Hammond interacted with fans in a similar way on Instagram after he posted imagery for the second single. Fans’ reactions to the two new tracks have been decidedly mixed, and in the comments, Hammond shared his honest thoughts on the upcoming album.
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One fan commented, “Albert I know you don’t like it bro you can tell us.” In response, Hammond wrote, “it’s my favorite album we’ve ever done. I can’t express how beautiful it is. I listen to the whole thing and wanna start from the beginning again. It grows and grows and becomes intoxicatingly good.”
Reality Awaits will have nine tracks total, with a few other titles including, “Going to Babble On,” “Lonely in the Future,” and “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon.” The Strokes also recently embarked on their new world tour.
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