The Strokes

Band · The band that restarted New York rock

Photo: Roger Woolman · CC BY 3.0
Active 1998-present
Origin New York City, New York
Albums 7
Tracks 75
Most frequent collaborator Gordon Raphael · 36 tracks
Genres Indie RockGarage Rock RevivalPost-Punk Revival
Artist
88%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 66 of 75 tracks

Who writes The Strokes' songs?

Julian Casablancas, mostly. He is the only credited writer on every track of Is This It, First Impressions of Earth and The New Abnormal, and he shares Room on Fire with Albert Hammond Jr. The exceptions are Angles and Comedown Machine, where the credit goes to the Strokes as a group rather than to any individual. Across the 75 tracks here, 56 name a member and 10 are collective credits.

By the Numbers

7
Studio Albums
75
Tracks Credited
88%
Self-Written
28
Years Active
10
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 66 / 75 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 75 tracks: how many The Strokes wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

The Strokes has a writing credit88%
84%
4%
12%
Sole author63tracks84%
Co-written3tracks4%
Outside writers9tracks12%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
The Strokes's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 75 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)88%
Composer (music)84%
Producer13%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 75 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Julian Casablancas 1998-present
75%
63%
0%
0%
Nick Valensi 1998-present
15%
25%
0%
0%
Albert Hammond Jr. 1998-present
29%
40%
0%
0%
Nikolai Fraiture 1998-present
15%
25%
0%
0%
Fabrizio Moretti 1998-present
15%
25%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

The Strokes's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 88%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
0%
2001Is This It
2003Room on Fire
2006First Impressions of Earth
2011Angles
2013Comedown Machine
2020The New Abnormal
2026Reality Awaits
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 0% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2000s
Is This It, Room on Fire +1 more
100%
2010s
Angles, Comedown Machine
100%
2020s
The New Abnormal, Reality Awaits

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where The Strokes sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

The Strokes
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Michael Bublé15%
Britney Spears32%
Jennifer Lopez46%
Mario57%
Omarion67%
Brad Paisley78%
T-Pain91%
88%The Strokes
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Last Nite
Is This It
Written by Julian Casablancas
Wrote it
Hard to Explain
Is This It
Written by Julian Casablancas
Wrote it
Someday
Is This It
Written by Julian Casablancas
Wrote it
12:51
Room on Fire
Written by Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr.
Wrote it
Reptilia
Room on Fire
Written by Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr.
Wrote it
The End Has No End
Room on Fire
Written by Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr.
Wrote it
Juicebox
First Impressions of Earth
Written by Julian Casablancas
Wrote it
Heart in a Cage
First Impressions of Earth
Written by Julian Casablancas
Wrote it
Under Cover of Darkness
Angles
Written by The Strokes
Wrote it
All the Time
Comedown Machine
Written by Julian Casablancas, Nikolai Fraiture, Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti, Nick Valensi
Wrote it
Bad Decisions
The New Abnormal
Written by Julian Casablancas, Billy Idol, Tony James
Co-wrote
Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus
The New Abnormal
Written by Julian Casablancas, The Strokes, Nikolai Fraiture, Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti, Nick Valensi
Wrote it
At the Door
The New Abnormal
Written by Julian Casablancas, Paul Vassallo
Co-wrote

Discography 7 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

The Strokes75 tracks
GR36Gordon Raphael, 36 tracks 21Gus Oberg, 21 tracks 18Rick Rubin, 18 tracks DK14David Kahne, 14 tracks JC10Joe Chiccarelli, 10 tracks 1Billy Idol, 1 track TJ1Tony James, 1 track RL1Richard Lofthouse Butler, 1 track TG1Timothy George Butler, 1 track PV1Paul Vassallo, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. GR Gordon Raphael · DK David Kahne · JC Joe Chiccarelli

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

For three albums the Strokes were a band with one writer. Julian Casablancas is the sole credited writer on every track of Is This It, First Impressions of Earth and The New Abnormal, and on Room on Fire he shares each song with Albert Hammond Jr. Then Angles changes the arrangement completely: every track is credited to the Strokes as a group, the result of a record the band made together after Casablancas stepped back, and Comedown Machine keeps all five names on every song. Of the 75 tracks here, 56 name a member individually and 10 are credited to the band as a whole.

Quick Facts

  • FormedNew York City in 1998, with the same five members ever since
  • DebutIs This It in 2001, which has sold a million copies in the United States
  • One writerJulian Casablancas is the only credited writer on three of the seven albums
  • Then fiveAngles and Comedown Machine credit the whole band on every track
  • GrammyThe New Abnormal won Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards
  • Authorship56 of 75 tracks name a member; the other 10 are credited to the band collectively

Creative Fingerprint

One writer for three albums, then a deliberate switch to collective credits when the band took the pen off him.

The Story

The Strokes formed in New York in 1998 and released Is This It in 2001, a record that pulled guitar bands back into fashion on both sides of the Atlantic. Julian Casablancas writes almost all of it. Seven albums have followed over twenty-five years, including The New Abnormal, which won Best Rock Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards.

Awards & Recognition

Grammy Award for Best Rock Album for The New Abnormal at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards
Is This It appears on numerous greatest albums lists

Frequently Asked Questions The Strokes

Who writes The Strokes' songs?
Julian Casablancas, mostly. He is the only credited writer on every track of Is This It, First Impressions of Earth and The New Abnormal, and he shares Room on Fire with Albert Hammond Jr. The exceptions are Angles and Comedown Machine, where the credit goes to the Strokes as a group rather than to any individual. Across the 75 tracks here, 56 name a member and 10 are collective credits.
How many albums have The Strokes released?
Seven studio albums: Is This It in 2001, Room on Fire in 2003, First Impressions of Earth in 2006, Angles in 2011, Comedown Machine in 2013, The New Abnormal in 2020 and Reality Awaits in 2026.
Who wrote "Last Nite"?
Julian Casablancas alone, as with every song on Is This It.
Why is Angles credited to the whole band?
Casablancas recorded his vocals separately from the rest of the band and the songs were built collectively rather than brought in finished. The liner notes credit the writing to the Strokes as a group, which is how it is recorded here.
Did The Strokes win a Grammy?
Yes. The New Abnormal won Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021.
Has the line-up ever changed?
No. Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti have been the band since 1998.
Which Strokes album sold the most?
Is This It, with a million copies in the United States, where it is certified platinum, and three times platinum certification in the United Kingdom.
Why do the chart peaks here come from the UK?
Most Strokes singles never entered the Billboard Hot 100; they charted on the UK Singles Chart and on Billboard's rock and alternative charts instead. The first four albums use UK peaks and the later three use Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, each labelled on the page.
Who produced The Strokes' albums?
Gordon Raphael on the first two, David Kahne on First Impressions of Earth, Joe Chiccarelli and Gus Oberg on Angles, Oberg alone on Comedown Machine, and Rick Rubin on The New Abnormal and Reality Awaits.
What happened between 2013 and 2020?
Seven years passed between Comedown Machine and The New Abnormal, during which the members worked on solo records and side projects. The album that ended the gap won them their first Grammy.

Sources

Wikipedia: The Strokes Wikipedia: The Strokes discography