The Strokes have announced their seventh studio album, 'Reality Awaits', due out this summer. The New York band shared a teaser video on social media on April 6, featuring a 1980s Nissan 300ZX and the tagline 'In the flesh, it’s even sexier'. It marks their first full-length release since 2020's 'The New Abnormal'.
The Strokes posted the announcement on their official Twitter account, @thestrokes, revealing the album title and summer release date. The short video shows the car with guitar chords playing, ending with 'Reality Awaits. The new album by The Strokes. Out this summer.' as first reported by NME and Pitchfork on April 6. The band has been teasing a return in recent weeks ahead of major festival appearances. The announcement comes days before their Coachella 2026 performances. They played a warm-up show in San Francisco on April 6 and are scheduled for Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, Just Like Heaven, and Japan's Summer Sonic. Their last album, 'The New Abnormal', produced by Rick Rubin, earned the band their first Grammy. Rubin confirmed in 2022 that they recorded sessions in Costa Rica, calling it an 'incredible' experience. Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr described the sessions as 'magical' and said, 'I don’t think we’ve written our best songs yet.' Frontman Julian Casablancas noted in 2020 that future releases could come quicker with their good relationship with Rubin.
