Julian Casablancas hates Zionism, and it’s beautiful to see an alt-rock star of a certain age take a real fucking stand. He also loves to aggressively deploy Auto-Tune, and that position seems to be a whole lot more controversial, at least in this corner of the internet. Last month, beloved New York rockers the Strokes announced their upcoming album Reality Awaits and shared the single “Going Shopping.” Casablancas went deep into robot-voice territory on that song, and he might take it even further on the Strokes’ new single “Falling Out Of Love.”
In most ways, “Falling Out Of Love” is a genuinely pretty and soulful heartbreak ballad. The band finds a loping midtempo groove, and Julian Casablancas lets loose with the vocal theatrics. But he sings through so many digital filters that his voice occasionally ceases to sound recognizably human. The song goes on for a long time, over six minutes, and the effects just get harder and harder to ignore. I think this is a pretty funny bit. You may well disagree.
Rick Rubin produced Reality Awaits, and I would’ve loved to eavesdrop on any Rubin/Casablancas discussions about the use of all that Auto-Tune. The Strokes will give “Falling Out Of Love” its live debut on Colbert tomorrow night. They recently announced a ton of tour dates. Hear “Falling Out Of Love” below.
Reality Awaits is out 6/26 via Cult/RCA.
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